Bankipur bypoll puts Samrat Choudhary, Prashant Kishor to first major test
The upcoming Bankipur Assembly by-election is no longer just a contest for one Assembly seat. It is being seen as the first major political test
The upcoming Bankipur Assembly by-election is no longer just a contest for one Assembly seat. It is being seen as the first major political test for the Samrat Choudhary-led NDA government in Bihar. The result could give the first indication of how voters are looking at the new government. The by-election has become more important after Prashant Kishor announced that he will contest from Bankipur as the Jan Suraaj Party candidate. His entry has made the contest a three-cornered fight and brought state-level issues to the centre of the campaign. Read Full Story It's notable that Prashant Kishor has been raising issues such as the Bhojpur encounter, the NEET student case, the alleged tender scam, unemployment, corruption and governance in the past few weeks. He has said the Bankipur by-election is an opportunity for people to give their verdict on these issues which he says would be a referendum.
GOVT HAS FAILED ON LAW AND ORDER? The Opposition has also attacked the NDA government over many of these issues. It claims the government has failed on law and order, corruption, employment and governance. The NDA, however, has rejected these allegations and says the election should be fought on its record of development, welfare schemes and infrastructure. This is also the first election after Samrat Choudhary became Chief Minister. Because of that, the result will be closely watched by all political parties. While one by-election cannot decide the future of the government, it can show whether the ruling alliance's message is connecting with voters. Another important question is whether the issues that have dominated Bihar politics over the past few months will affect voting. The Bhojpur encounter, the NEET student death case, allegations of corruption, unemployment and law and order have remained in the political spotlight.
The Bankipur result will show whether these issues have remained political talking points or have influenced public opinion. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT FOR PRASHANT KISHOR? For Prashant Kishor, this is also an important election. It is his first direct electoral contest after launching the Jan Suraaj Party. A good performance would strengthen his claim that Bihar is looking for a new political alternative. For the BJP, winning Bankipur is equally important. The constituency has been one of the party's strongest urban seats for years. Retaining the seat would allow the NDA to claim that voters continue to support its governance despite the Opposition's criticism. Reacting to the contest, BJP spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said no one would be able to divide the BJP's vote in Bankipur. He said the BJP has always won the seat and will win again under the leadership of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
The BriefWire