Bankipur By-Election in Bihar Sees Record Low Voter Turnout Amid Tensions

Patna: Amid trading of charges between the BJP and Jan Suraaj Party founder and candidate Prashant Kishor, the polling for the Bankipur by-election passed off peacefully on Thursday, even as voter turnout hit a record low of 34.30 percent. Election Commission may revise the voter turnout with fresh inputs. According to data released by the Election Commission of India, the estimated voter turnout in the Bankipur constituency during the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections was 40.97 percent. In 2020, the seat recorded a turnout of 35.92 percent, while it was 40.25 percent in 2015, and 36.96 percent in 2010. Patna, Bihar: On the Bankipur By-Poll, BJP State President Sanjay Saraogi says, "We will win by a massive majority. They were creating drama everywhere. They were moving around with 5–6 vehicles, what was the need? It was just to go and stage a protest..." pic.twitter.com/SuN90VIQ5V While BJP fielded a low-key youth wing leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha, RJD re-nominated Rekha Gupta as its candidate in the by-election. Physical scuffles and clashes also occurred between supporters of the BJP and Jan Suraaj at various places during the polling. As many as 39 people were arrested or detained for disturbing the polling process or indulging in other offences during the polling. 11.50% approximate voter turnout recorded in Bankipur Assembly Bye-Election. 14.24% approximate voter turnout recorded in Manjalpur Assembly Bye-Election. 32.53% approximate voter turnout recorded in Datia Assembly Bye-Election. pic.twitter.com/mgq04vZsE5 The by-election to the Bankipur constituency was necessitated after BJP national president Nitin Nabin was elected to Rajya Sabha. In the 2025 assembly election, BJP secured nearly 63 percent of votes with RJD finishing a distant second. Kishor's entry intensified the contest, as he left no stone unturned to wrest the Bankipur seat from the BJP, which has won the seat since 1995. Union Minister and JD (U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh aka Lalan Singh reached Patna from New Delhi specifically to cast his vote. After voting, he returned to the national capital to participate in the parliamentary proceedings. A total of 379,616 voters were eligible to cast their votes in the Bankipur constituency. Hours before the voting started, Kishor accused police of detaining more than 16 of his supporters allegedly at the behest of the ruling and also visited Jakkanpur police station on Wednesday night. He said that police were not ready to divulge the whereabouts of two workers of his party who were detained and brought to the police station illegally before being moved to some other location. Even as the polling was underway, state BJP general secretary Nitin Abhishek wrote a letter to the returning officer of the assembly, claiming that representatives and workers associated with the Jan Suraaj Party were attempting to compromise the integrity of the polling process by attempting to cast fraudulent/fake votes in the Bankipur by-poll.