Patna: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Sunday threw his hat into the ring for the by-election to the Bankipur Assembly seat in Bihar, terming it a "referendum" on the popularity of the BJP-led government in the state.
Addressing a press conference here, Kishor announced his decision to contest the seat, which fell vacant following the resignation of BJP president Nitin Nabin, who is now a Rajya Sabha MP.
"The people of Bankipur are the richest and the most educated in Bihar. Let them vote for the best. If they feel they can repose their trust in me, I urge them to vote for me… Even as the lone MLA of my party, I shall outweigh the remaining 242 members in the Assembly," Kishor said.
The 48-year-old reiterated that BJP leader Samrat Choudhary became chief minister "without the people's mandate" as the NDA had won last year's Assembly elections projecting JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, who stepped down a couple of months ago, as its chief ministerial face.
"The upcoming bypoll is going to be a referendum on the working of the two-month-old government of Samrat Choudhary. If the BJP wins, I will have no hesitation in conceding that they continue to enjoy public support. If we win, it shall be for them to read the writing on the wall," the former poll strategist added.
Kishor, who had been dropping hints over the past few weeks that he was willing to contest the bypoll, said the formal decision was taken at a meeting of the Jan Suraaj Party's core committee, held soon after the by-election schedule was announced last week.
The filing of nomination papers will begin on Monday and continue until July 13. Voting will take place on July 30, followed by the counting of votes on August 3.
The BJP, which appears confident of retaining the seat it has held since the 1990s, is yet to declare its candidate.
The opposition alliance of the RJD, Congress and Left parties is also yet to announce its candidate.
Former minister Tej Pratap Yadav, who floated the Janshakti Janata Dal after being expelled from the RJD by his father, Lalu Prasad, has fielded social activist Veena Manvi.
