Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing a significant challenge to retain its seat in the Bankipur assembly by-election. Senior socialist leader Shivanand Tiwari has weighed in on the political battle, stating that the BJP has put all its might into this election, even deploying Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for campaigning. Tiwari mentioned that he heard a video appeal from Nitish Kumar, urging voters to support the BJP candidate.

Shivanand Tiwari emphasized that Bankipur is the constituency from which Nitin Nabin was previously a BJP MLA and is now the party's national president. Despite this, he is campaigning like a regular party worker, going door-to-door to solicit votes for his candidate, which indicates the seriousness with which the BJP is approaching this election. Tiwari questioned why the BJP appears so worried, citing several reasons. Firstly, the confusion created by the BJP in candidate selection, where an initial name was announced and then changed. He also raised doubts about the current candidate's campaigning style, suggesting it might do more harm than good.

Regarding the main contest, Tiwari believes the real fight is between the BJP and Prashant Kishor. He also commented on Tejashwi Yadav's roadshow, stating that he doesn't think a mere three or four days of campaigning will completely change the election outcome. However, if the RJD's vote share increases, it could be considered an achievement.

Tiwari also discussed the impact of the recent student protests, noting that their effect is visible in this election. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had to resign under pressure from this movement. Cases were filed against students in Patna and several other districts of Bihar, and many were jailed, which is politically hurting the BJP. Commenting on Prashant Kishor's campaign, Tiwari said that Kishor started his campaign in Bankipur much earlier and is an experienced election strategist. Therefore, it is difficult to believe that he would enter the fray without thorough preparation.

According to Tiwari, the current political atmosphere suggests Prashant Kishor has a slight edge. However, he added that the final decision rests with the public and the ballot box. Regarding the impact of Nitish Kumar's appeal, he said that only the election results would tell its true effect. But the BJP's move to have Nitish Kumar issue a video message and widely publicize it indicates that the BJP still considers Nitish Kumar's influence important in Bihar politics and finds it difficult to win an election without his support.