Prashant Kishor of the Jan Suraaj Party defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by more than 19,000 votes in Bihar’s Bankipur assembly by-election held on July 30. Kishor received more than 63,000 votes, while Kumar secured about 45,000. RJD candidate Rekha Kumari received about 15,000 votes. The result marked a setback for the BJP in a constituency described as one of its strongholds.

Bankipur had been held by BJP national president Nitin Nabin before he moved to the Rajya Sabha, triggering the by-election after his resignation as legislator. Following the 2008 delimitation, Nabin won the seat four consecutive times from 2010 to 2025. His father, Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha, had won the constituency four straight times between 1995 and 2005.

Political analysts said the contest was BJP’s first major electoral test after protests against alleged NEET exam paper leaks. The BJP’s state leadership acknowledged defeat and said recent anti-paper leak and anti-corruption protests affected the result. Kishor called the victory a win for Bihar’s people and said it conveyed their demand for capable and acceptable leadership.