Bihar Bankipur bypoll: BJP candidate Abhishek Kumar withdraws nomination a day after filing papers

New Delhi: In a major political development, the BJP candidate for the Bankipur assembly bypoll in Bihar, Abhishek Kumar, withdrew his nomination on Friday. Abhishek had filed his nomination on Thursday in the presence of state BJP president Sanjay Saraogi and other NDA leaders. Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary and other NDA leaders had even addressed a rally for him in Bankipur.

On Friday afternoon, Abhishek wrote a letter to Saraogi stating he is unable to contest the election due to family reasons. However, party sources told ET that there was some confusion regarding information about his family and education in the nomination paper. The party feared his nomination could be cancelled.

On Friday, the BJP immediately announced Neeraj Kumar Sinha (32) as the new party candidate for the seat. Sinha is presently the district vice-president of the BJP Yuva Morcha. He is likely to file his nomination on Monday. Bankipur is BJP president Nitin Nabin's seat and it is a battle of prestige for the BJP, especially with Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishore in the fray. RJD has fielded Rekha Gupta.


Meanwhile, in Datia, Madhya Pradesh, BJP fielded Ashutosh Tiwari for the bypoll in a surprise move. In 2023, the sitting BJP MLA and state minister Narottam Mishra lost the poll to Congress candidate Rajendra Bharti. The bypoll has been necessitated due to Bharti's conviction in a case.

BJP leader Narottam Mishra won this seat thrice in 2008, 2013 and 2018 while he lost in 2023.

Given his track record and seniority, it was assumed that Mishra would get a chance to contest the bypoll. He had already started campaigning in the region and even bought the nomination paper.

However, the party preferred Ashutosh Tiwari, a candidate with an RSS background. Tiwari is the former divisional organisation secretary of the BJP and also served as chairman of the MP Housing Board with cabinet rank.