Patna, July 11 (IANS) Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, who is set to make his electoral debut in the upcoming Bankipur Assembly constituency bypoll in Bihar, on Saturday took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the latter’s candidate withdrew his nomination, saying that he has “fled from that constituency’s bypoll which is said to be the BJP’s stronghold”.

The remarks came after the BJP announced Neeraj Kumar Sinha as its official candidate for the Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar, replacing Abhishek Kumar Sinha alias Bunty, who withdrew his nomination earlier on Friday, citing family reasons.

Speaking to IANS, Prashant Kishor said: “It is said that they (BJP) have a stronghold in Bankipur, but their candidate ran away from the field. So, the position of the BJP can be gauged from the running away of their candidate.”

“In the last four to five years, it has been seen that the candidates of other parties either run away or are bought or threatened. Maybe, this is happening for the first time in many years that a BJP candidate has fled, that too from the bypoll of Assembly constituency for which BJP leaders were claiming that even if a stray is fielded from there, the party would still win,” he remarked.

Kishor asserted: “This situation reflects that people here have made up their mind for change; they want a new option…the BJP is set to lose,” he asserted.

The Jan Suraaj leader also said: “The BJP is a very large party, and if its candidate flees from by-election in a seat considered its stronghold and the seat of its National President (Nitin Nabin), then the situation is self-explanatory. There is no need to say anything further.”

Earlier on Saturday, BJP leader Jibesh Kumar took a jibe at Prashant Kishor, referring to Jan Suraaj’s defeat in last year’s Bihar Assembly polls.

“Is this the same Prashant Kishor who contested elections a few months ago? He contested all 243 Assembly seats and could not even open his account. Only two of his candidates managed to retain their deposits. Is he the same person who could not even protect his deposits in 241 seats?.. I only know that the NDA will win the Bankipur bypoll with a majority,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Rekha Gupta denied any kind of contest, saying: “The only goal is to reach the people and take their blessings.”

Regarding the withdrawal of nomination by BJP candidate, she called it a “defeat of the party’s strategy”.

“Their (NDA’s) strategy has failed at the very first step. Now their candidate has run away, very soon they (BJP) will flee from Bankipur as well,” she told IANS.

Expressing confidence of victory, Gupta said: “People will vote for me, who can become their voice in the Bihar Assembly.”

–IANS

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