Patna, July 7 (IANS) The BJP on Tuesday announced Abhishek Kumar, a close aide of BJP chief Nitin Nabin, as its official candidate for the by-election to Bihar’s Bankipur Assembly constituency.

The party’s Central Election Committee approved his candidature and formally declared his name.

The announcement was made through a statement released by the BJP National General Secretary and headquarters in-charge, Arun Singh.

Abhishek Kumar served as the Vice-President of the BJP Yuva Morcha in the Bankipur region. He has been actively involved in the party organisation for a long time.

According to party sources, he is regarded as one of the close associates of BJP National President Nitin Nabin, who has vacated this seat after being elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Kumar hails from the Kayastha community, which has a strong presence in the Bankipur constituency.

Bankipur is considered one of Bihar’s key urban constituencies and has long been regarded as a BJP stronghold. The by-election is being viewed as politically significant, with major parties expected to invest considerable effort in the campaign.

With the candidate announcement now in place, the BJP is expected to intensify its campaign in the constituency. The party plans to seek votes on the basis of the achievements of the Central and Bihar governments, as well as its organisational strength in the region.

With the announcement of Abhishek Kumar’s name, the contest is shaping up to be a multi-cornered one. The Jan Suraaj Party has already fielded the party’s founder, Prashant Kishor, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has nominated Rekha Gupta.

With all major contenders now in place, political parties are busy finalising their campaign strategies and electoral outreach plans.

The Bankipur seat fell vacant after BJP national president Nitin Nabin was elected to the Rajya Sabha. Following the Election Commission’s notification for the by-election, the nomination process has already begun.

Given the constituency’s political prominence and the candidates in the fray, the Bankipur bypoll is being seen as one of the most prestigious and closely followed electoral battles in Bihar this year.

The by-election will be held on July 30 along with two other bypolls in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The counting of votes will be taken up on August 3.

–IANS

skp/uk