Patna: Polling began at 7am on Thursday for the high-profile Bankipur Assembly by-election, with voters arriving at polling stations from early morning to cast their ballots in a contest seen as politically significant ahead of Bihar’s Assembly elections.
Voting will continue until 6pm, with 3,79,616 electors expected to decide the fate of 25 candidates. The counting of votes is scheduled for August 3.
The by-election has evolved into a three-way contest between the BJP, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Mahagathbandhan and Jan Suraaj.
The BJP has fielded Neeraj Sinha, while the RJD is represented by Rekha Gupta. Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor is also in the fray.
Tight Security Across Polling Stations
The Election Commission and district administration have put in place extensive security arrangements for the polling process.
Central paramilitary forces have been deployed inside all sensitive and hyper-sensitive polling stations, while Bihar Police and Home Guard personnel are responsible for security outside polling booths.
Authorities have also kept additional Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units on standby to address any technical issues during polling.
Turnout Under Watch
Bankipur, an entirely urban constituency, has traditionally recorded lower voter turnout than many rural seats in Bihar. Election officials, however, are hoping for higher participation this time.
Women voters were among the early arrivals at several polling stations. BJP MP Vivek Thakur cast his vote alongside his father, former Union minister C.P. Thakur.
The constituency includes several prominent voters, including Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nitin Navin, Ram Kripal Yadav and Union minister Chirag Paswan. Members of the Lalu family are also registered as voters in Bankipur, with their polling station located at the Veterinary College.
At Patna Women’s College, where booths 90 to 96 have been set up, polling began smoothly, although voter turnout remained modest during the early hours. Pleasant weather conditions saw voters arriving steadily rather than in large numbers.
BJP Raises Bogus Voting Allegation
The BJP alleged that Jan Suraaj supporters were attempting to cast bogus votes during polling.
State General Secretary Nitin Abhishek wrote to the Returning Officer seeking strict enforcement of voter identity verification procedures throughout the election.
Separately, allegations of intimidation were reported from booths 101, 102 and 103 in the Kidwaipuri area, where complaints were made against former candidate Abhishek Kumar Bunty and his associates. The allegations could not be independently verified.
Voters Focus On Civic Issues
At Shaheed Ram Govind Singh Kanya High School, one woman voter said she had come to vote with the hope of seeing improvements in education and public services.
“We have come to vote this time with the same expectations people always have—for better education and better facilities,” she said.
