Patna: BJP on Saturday defended its decision to replace its candidate for the Bankipur assembly bypoll, even as the contest gained attention with Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor making his electoral debut and the election becoming the first major political test since CM Samrat Choudhary took office.The party, which has held the seat, formerly known as Patna Paschim, for the past three decades, fielded Neeraj Kumar Sinha in place of Abhishek Kumar ‘Bunty’. Bunty had filed his nomination papers on Thursday but later withdrew from the race, citing “family reasons”.Responding to the RJD’s charge that the BJP had failed to finalise its candidate despite Bankipur being its stronghold, BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi said, “Once he (Bunty) expressed his inability to contest, the central leadership and the election committee declared Neeraj as our candidate. He is a grassroots-level worker. This kind of opportunity is possible only within the BJP.”Rejecting Prashant Kishor’s claim that people were unhappy with the BJP, Saraogi said, “He used to say similar things in the November Assembly election in Bihar and 95% of his candidates forfeited their security deposits.”Neeraj, accompanied by Saraogi, later met CM Samrat Choudhary, who extended his best wishes.Addressing reporters, Neeraj said the BJP’s strength lay in the synergy between its ideology, organisation and workers. Recalling the moment he was informed about his candidature while distributing leaflets among party workers on Friday, he said, “It’s only in the BJP where a mandal-level party worker can become a candidate for an assembly seat.”He also pledged to carry forward the development agenda of Bankipur’s representative and BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who congratulated him and expressed confidence in his victory.
