The BJP on Friday made two surprise announcements about its candidates ahead of the Assembly by-elections, replacing its candidate in Bihar’s Bankipur seat and picking a new face over senior leader Narottam Mishra in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia.
In Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party named youth wing leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha as its candidate for the Bankipore Assembly by poll after the party’s original candidate, Abhishek Kumar Sinha, withdrew from the contest a day after filing his nomination papers, citing “family reasons.”
Addressing a short press conference in Patna, Abhishek Kumar Sinha said, “Due to family reasons, I cannot contest the by-elections. But I will continue to work in the party as a committed worker.” Soon after his announcement, the BJP appointed Neeraj Kumar Sinha as its new candidate. Neeraj said his selection reflects the party’s commitment to workers at the grassroots level.
The Bankipore seat fell vacant after BJP national president Nitin Nabin was elected to the Rajya Sabha. A high-profile contest is expected, with Jan Suraj founder Prashant Kishor in the fray, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) with Rekha Gupta, who lost to Nabin in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections.
In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP nominated Ashutosh Tiwari for the Datia assembly, ignoring former state home minister Narottam Mishra, who has already started campaigning after meeting senior party leaders in Delhi earlier this week.
The bypoll was necessary after Congress leader Rajendra Bharti lost his membership in the Assembly following his conviction in a criminal case. The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to suspend his conviction.
The announcement sparked protests by BJP workers who were believed to be Mishra’s supporters. Many shops were closed in Datia town, while protesters blocked the Gwalior-Jhansi highway, leading to a traffic jam that stretched for nearly two kilometres.
More than 300 BJP office bearers at district and panchayat levels including district president V Datia resigned to register their protest. Women protesters also lay down on the road outside the BJP office in Datia and raised slogans against Tiwari.
Mishra could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts. “Narotam Mishra is like my guardian. I will contest the elections only under Mishra’s guidance,” said Tiwari, who sought a BJP ticket from Sionda in Datia district in 2023. Polling in both bypolls is scheduled to take place on July 30.
