Polling underway in high-stakes Bankipur bypoll, Bihar

Polling is underway for the prestigious Bankipur Assembly by-election in Patna, with 25 candidates in the fray.

A total of 3,79,616 voters are eligible to decide the electoral fate of the contestants. The contest is primarily seen as a triangular fight between Jan Suraaj candidate Prashant Kishor, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Rekha Gupta, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha, who is backed by the NDA.

Polling began peacefully on Thursday morning, with voters



arriving steadily at polling stations, although long queues were seen during the early hours at some places.

At Patna Women’s College, which houses polling booths numbered 90 to 96, voting proceeded smoothly under pleasant weather conditions.

One of the notable moments of the morning was at Booth No. 94, where a 75-year-old woman arrived in a wheelchair to exercise her democratic right.

Many voters said they were casting their ballots with development as their primary concern.