Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Abhishek Kumar Sinha ‘Bunty’ has refused to contest the Bankipur assembly by-election in Bihar. He has announced his withdrawal from the election field and has written a letter to BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi regarding this decision. He said that he will no longer contest the elections, but will continue to work for the party as a dedicated worker. Abhishek Bunty has also withdrawn his nomination. For the Bankipur by-election, BJP had fielded a common party worker to contest against Jan Suraj Party’s Prashant Kishore and RJD’s Rekha Gupta.
Abhishek Sinha Bunty made this announcement during a press conference at the BJP state office in Patna on Friday evening. He had filed his nomination for Bankipur seat a day earlier in the presence of senior NDA leaders including BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi. After the nomination, a public meeting was held at the Scout and Guide Ground in Patna, in which many leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary sought votes for him.
Why did the BJP candidate from Bankipur refuse to contest elections?
Abhishek Sinha Bunty, who filed nomination for Bankipur Assembly seat in Patna, did not give any specific reason behind his decision of not contesting the elections. However, media reports quoting sources said that he had informed the state leadership that he was withdrawing his candidature due to family reasons.
July 13: Last day of nomination
The last date for filing nomination for Bankipur assembly seat is July 13. After Abhishek Bunty’s withdrawal, now BJP will have to find a new candidate in just two-three days. Voting for Bankipur by-election is scheduled to take place on July 30 and the results will be declared on August 3.
Big challenge for BJP
This development has created a stir in the politics of Bihar. The ruling party BJP now faces the challenge of fielding a new candidate for the Bankipur seat at the last moment. After withdrawal of candidature from Abhishek Sinha, all eyes are on him. Abhishek ‘Bunty’ is a close associate of Nitin Naveen.
Abhishek Sinha ‘Bunty’ is the MLA from Bankipur assembly constituency and a close aide of BJP leader Nitin Naveen. He has previously been the State Vice President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and President of Patna Metropolitan and Divisional Unit. He has been working for BJP in Patna, including Bankipur area, for two decades. When the seat fell vacant after Nitin Naveen became a Rajya Sabha MP, the party had fielded Abhishek – an ordinary party worker – in the by-election. However, now the party will have to look for another strong candidate.
