BJP changes its candidate vs Prashant Kishor in Bihar's Bankipur bypoll as Abhishek Kumar Sinha withdraws

BJP has changed its candidate against Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor for Bihar's Bankipur assembly bypoll, as the previous party nominee, Abhishek Kumar Sinha, withdrew his candidature on Friday, citing family reasons, a day after filing his nomination.The saffron party had on Tuesday named the youth wing leader as its candidate for the bypoll to the assembly constituency in Bihar, which fell vacant following the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin.Prashant Kishor is also in the fray for the seat, and according to a BJP press release, the party has now named Neeraj Kumar Sinha as its candidate for the poll against the former political strategist.RJD's Rekha Kumari is also contesting the bypoll.The bypoll will be held on July 30, with voting counting scheduled for August 3. The last date for filing of nominations is July 13.What Abhishek Kumar Sinha said"The BJP had made me the NDA candidate for the bypoll to the Bankipur assembly seat. I express my gratitude to the central and state leadership. However, due to family reasons, I am unable to contest the bypoll," Abhishek Kumar Sinha told a press conference in Patna.Sinha said he has communicated his decision to the state BJP president Sanjay Saraogi.BJP's new candidate, 32-year-old Neeraj Kumar Sinha, has previously served as a booth president and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) district vice-president, the party said in the release. He has been associated with the BJP since 2006, the release further said.How Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj reactedPrashant Kishor's Jan Suraj did not waste time in trying to capitalise on the BJP manoeuvre, claiming that the ruling party got "scared" of its founder.“BJP, scared of Prashant Kishor, abandons the field,” the party said in a post on social media platform X. Prashant Kishor had announced his candidature for the Bankipur bypoll on Sunday, describing the contest as a "referendum" on the performance of the BJP-led government in Bihar. Addressing party workers in Patna, the former political strategist urged the constituency's nearly four lakh voters to “vote for making a difference.”Kishor, who seeks to wrest the seat that had elected Nabin five times on the trot, the last occasion being last year's assembly polls, pointed out that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had not given up his seat in Gujarat Vidhan Sabha upon becoming the BJP chief."Yes, I know that the BJP considers Bankipur as its stronghold. Voters here have repeatedly reposed their trust in Nitin Nabin. But Nitin Nabin took no time in forgetting them. He abandoned the seat at the first opportunity to enter Parliament", the former poll strategist told PTI video.Kishor rejected the BJP's claim that, after being elected to the top party post, Nabin's continuance as a member of the state assembly had become untenable, a reason he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April.The IPAC founder, who had handled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's poll campaign in 2014, pointed out, "We have the example of Amit Shah. He was a member of the legislative assembly in Gujarat when he became the BJP president. He did not give up his seat. There was no compulsion for Nabin to move to Delhi. He chose to do so".