Ahead of the Bankipur bypoll scheduled for July 30, 2026, Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) and its candidate for the bypoll, launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday (July 26, 2026). The BJP was using the district administration to harass his party colleagues, and deploying ‘Jivika Didis’ for campaigning, Mr. Kishor alleged. He would undertake a sit-in protest outside the office of the State Election Commission if these practices were not stopped within 24 hours, Mr. Kishor said.
Patna District Magistrate Kundan Kumar, in an official post on Saturday (July 25, 2026), “once again repeated the same objectionable practice we witnessed in November 2025”, Mr. Kishor said. Under the guise of promoting voter awareness, Jeevia Didis, who are employed by the State government, were tasked with telling women they would stop receiving welfare benefits, including ration and pension, if they did not vote for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr. Kishore alleged.
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“It is not enough for the DM (District Magistrate) to simply delete a tweet (social media post). He must issue an order stating that no woman associated with ‘Jivika’ nor any employee or semi-government worker, can be part of the election process. The Patna DM committed a shameful act yesterday through an official tweet. All day yesterday, these ‘Jivika Didis’ held meetings and went door-to-door, telling women that failing to vote for the BJP would result in the loss of all government-provided benefits,” Mr. Kishor said, addressing a press conference here.
On July 25, 2026, the Patna district administration posted a message from its official X handle at 9.56 a.m., featuring visuals of a Jeevika Didi at a door-to-door voter awareness campaign in Bankipur Assembly constituency, with the BJP’s flag visible in the background. This post was deleted after a few hours. Another message, which said, “Door-to-door voter awareness programme in Bankipur Assembly constituency by the National Urban Livelihoods Mission team” was posted on social media at 11.15 a.m.
Involving the “semi-government Jivika Didis”, and having them participate in the election process, was a gross act of dishonesty, “towards the people of Bihar, towards democracy and towards the citizens of Bankipur”, Mr. Kishor said. “We will not tolerate a repeat of what happened in November 2025,” he added in an apparent reference to the ₹10,000 given to every Jeevika Didi before the 2025 Bihar Assembly election, under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana..
While having “500 leaders campaign” posed no issues for him, unduly pressurising the local administration created problems, he said. The Patna police were harassing JSP leaders staying in hotels, Mr. Kishor said, adding that many of them had travelled at their own expense and were facing daily raids at their accommodation.
“The BJP and the Election Commission need to explain the presence of BJP members staying here. Why are those hotels not being raided? Why are they not being asked who is paying their bills? Who is paying for the accommodation and meals of the large number of BJP members who have arrived? They need to clarify this as well,” Mr. Kishor said.
The BJP had deployed 1,000 workers, leaders, and actors, which was within its democratic rights, but the public would observe the array of resources the BJP had mobilised “just to defeat a single individual”, Mr. Kishor said, in an apparent reference to himself. “This represents a major democratic victory. It is a victory not for Jan Suraaj (Party), but for the voters of Bankipur who have resolved that they are not bonded labourers for any political party or ideology,” Mr. Kishor said.
Meanwhile, BJP national president Nitin Nabin campaigned in Bankipur in support of the NDA candidate, Neeraj Kumar Sinha.
Published - July 26, 2026 03:02 pm IST