BJP candidate quits Bankipur bypoll race, JSP says candidate father was convicted in a fodder scam case

In an interesting turn of events ahead of the July 30 Bankipur bypoll, BJP candidate Abhishek Kumar Friday withdrew his nomination citing "family reasons" even as Jan Suraaj Party alleged that the candidate's father was one of 75 people along with RJD chief Lalu Prasad in a fodder scam case. CBI website also confirmed this. BJP, however, soon declaring its Mandal adhyaksh Neeraj Kumar Sinha as the new candidate for a bypoll shaping up to be a triangular contest with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP). With JSP founder Prashant Kishor entering the fray, Bankipur is turning into a prestige battle for the BJP, especially since its national president Nitin Nabin has represented the seat five times since 2006. The constituency has been a BJP stronghold since 1995, when it was still called Patna West.