The Bankipur bypoll has assumed significance as it marks Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor's electoral debut against the BJP in one of its strongest urban bastions.Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) received a jolt Wednesday with some of its key leaders, including mathematician KC Sinha, joining the BJP in the presence of the party’s state president, Sanjay Saraogi.BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha is pitted against Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Rekha Gupta and JSP’s Prashant Kishor in the Bankipur bypoll, scheduled for July 30. The bypoll was necessitated after BJP’s five-time MLA and party national president Nitin Nabin was nominated to the Rajya Sabha.Among those who crossed over to the BJP was renowned mathematician K C Sinha, who unsuccessfully contested last year’s Bihar Assembly polls as the JSP nominee from the Kumhrar constituency. Other JSP leaders who joined the BJP included Ritesh Ranjan alias Bittu Singh, the party’s candidate from Digha, Gopal Singh, its Maner candidate, and Braj Kishore Sinha, JSP’s Kisan Morcha district president.BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi welcomed the JSP leaders into the party and said they had shown how there was “a national wave of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies”.Mathematician KC Sinha said: “Our decision to join BJP was driven by national interest and a desire to contribute towards India’s global leadership”.The Bankipur bypoll has assumed significance as it marks Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor’s electoral debut against the BJP in one of its strongest urban bastions. The BJP has held the seat since 1995.Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Expertise He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More