Bihar: BJP chief Nitin Nabin reviews preparations for Bankipur bypoll

Patna, Jul 13 (PTI) BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Monday reviewed preparations for the bypoll to the Bankipur assembly seat in Bihar, which has been necessitated by his resignation, following election to the Rajya Sabha. Nabin, who is on a tour of his home town, hosted a meeting here in the evening where state BJP president Sanjay Saraogi, general secretary (organisation) Bhikhubhai Dalsania and several other office bearers, as well as booth level workers, were present. According to a statement issued by the state BJP, Nabin "called upon leaders and workers to work diligently towards ensuring the victory of NDA candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha". Sinha filed his nomination papers earlier in the day, minutes before the process came to a close. He has been fielded in the wake of Abhishek Kumar ‘Bunty’, state vice president of the BJP's youth wing, pulling out of the contest, a day after having filed his nomination, citing "family reasons". Nabin, who had made his debut from the constituency in 2006 when it was known as "Patna West, in a bypoll necessitated by his late father Nabin Kishor Prasad Sinha's death, won the seat for a fifth consecutive term in November last year, but gave it up in April, a couple of months after assuming the top party post. The party has been winning the seat with huge margins since the 1990s. Its principal challenger in the high-voltage bypoll is Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor. Other contenders include RJD's Rekha Gupta, who had lost to Nabin last year by a margin of about 50,000 votes, and Veena Manvi, who has been fielded by Janshakti Janata Dal of Tej Pratap Yadav, the estranged elder son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad. The by-poll is scheduled for July 30, followed by counting of votes on August 3. PTI NAC RBT