Lalu Yadav’s Fodder Scam Link Sparks BJP’s Sudden Candidate Change in Bankipur Bypoll
Patna: The BJP has made a surprise change to its candidate for the upcoming Bankipur Assembly bypoll in Bihar, replacing Abhishek “Bunty” with Neeraj Kumar Sinha just a day after Bunty filed his nomination papers.
Abhishek Bunty, who had submitted his nomination on Thursday in the presence of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and several senior NDA leaders, withdrew from the contest on Friday. In a letter to Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi, he cited “personal reasons” for stepping down. He later repeated the same explanation during a press conference, where he appeared emotional while addressing the media.
Following his withdrawal, the BJP announced Neeraj Kumar Sinha as its new candidate. He will now face Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor in the high-profile Bankipur bypoll.
According to party sources, the decision was influenced by the legal history of Bunty’s father, Ravindra Prasad, who was convicted in the fodder scam case along with RJD chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. BJP leaders reportedly feared that Prashant Kishor would use the issue to target the party during the election campaign.
Ravindra Prasad, who served as the manager of Magadh Chemical Corporation during the scam period, was sentenced to three years in prison by a CBI court in 2022. Investigators had named him as one of the accused in the ₹139-crore fodder scam after examining hundreds of witnesses and thousands of documents.
Sources said senior BJP leaders became aware of the matter only recently. Reports also suggest that Prashant Kishor had gathered documents related to the case and was preparing to make it a major campaign issue. To avoid political damage, the BJP decided to replace Bunty with Neeraj Kumar Sinha, a young party leader.
The Bankipur bypoll was necessitated after BJP leader Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
Bankipur has remained a BJP stronghold since 1995. However, with Prashant Kishor making his electoral debut as a candidate, the bypoll is expected to witness an intense political contest
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
