Patna, July 30 (IANS) Polling continued on Thursday for the high-profile Bankipur Assembly bye-election in Patna. Prashant Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj Party and candidate of Bankipur Assembly constituency, on Thursday reiterated his criticism of the police action taken on the eve of the election. He alleged that more than 16 Jan Suraaj leaders had been detained and shifted between different police stations without their whereabouts being disclosed initially.
“There was no drama. As we had said, the police detained over 16 Jan Suraaj leaders and held them at various police stations. No one knew where they had been taken. Later, we learned they had first been shifted to Danapur and then to Shahpur police station. If they have done something wrong, a case should be registered against them. They were detained simply to keep them away from the election,” he said.
Patna police have previously stated that the detentions were linked to efforts to maintain law and order ahead of polling.
Prashant Kishor also welcomed the BJP’s demand for stricter voter identity verification during polling.
Referring to the BJP’s request for mandatory matching of EPIC (Elector’s Photo Identity Card) details with voters’ names to prevent bogus voting, Kishor said the proposal was a positive step.
“The BJP has done an excellent job after a long time. Strict verification of EPIC IDs against voter names is a necessary step to prevent bogus voting,” he said.
A total of 25 candidates are in the fray for the Bankipur bypoll, and 379,616 voters are eligible to cast their ballots, with the principal contest being seen as a triangular fight between Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Rekha Gupta, and NDA-backed BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha.
Meanwhile, Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary urged people to participate enthusiastically in the democratic process.
After casting his vote, he said citizens who believe in a particular ideology strengthen democracy by voting according to their convictions.
He appealed to voters to come out in large numbers and increase the polling percentage.
Noting that Thursday marked the first day of the holy month of Sawan, Choudhary said the electorate of Bankipur is highly educated and expressed confidence that voters would participate responsibly in deciding the constituency’s future.
The Bankipur bye-election is being closely watched as an important political contest in Bihar.
The BJP is seeking to retain a constituency widely regarded as its traditional stronghold, while the election is also viewed as a crucial political test for Prashant Kishor and his newly formed Jan Suraaj Party.
Polling is being conducted under heavy security arrangements, with election authorities monitoring the process to ensure free and fair voting. The votes will be counted on August 3.
–IANS
ajk/rad