Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor addresses supporters at the Scout Guide Ground. File.
\| Photo Credit: ANI
A delegation of the Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) met Election Commission of India’s officials and submitted a memorandum against Jan Suraaj party leader Prashant Kishor concerning the Bankipur Assembly byelection.
The memorandum submitted by the BJP delegation raised concerns about the alleged violation of the prescribed election expenditure limit, spending funds through shell companies, and influencing voters through fake social media accounts and bot networks.
The delegation included Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari, MLA Jivesh Mishra, Legislative Council Chief Whip Janak Ram, State Media In-charge Danish Iqbal, and Election Commission Cell Convener Rakesh Thakur.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office after meeting the ECI, senior party leader and former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said that while every individual has the right to contest elections in a democracy, adhering to the rules set by the Commission is mandatory for everyone.
He alleged that Mr. Kishor has spent crores of rupees in the Bankipur byelection, far exceeding the ₹40 lakh expenditure limit, and the BJP has provided documentary evidence to the ECI in this regard.
Mr. Hussain alleged that large-scale social media campaigning was being conducted through various companies to conceal actual election expenses. He added that payments are being made to influencers using fake social media accounts in an attempt to manufacture an artificial public sentiment.
The BJP leaders claimed that the election campaign was being conducted through companies such as Simple Sense Analytics Pvt. Ltd. and News Lighthouse LLP, which appear to be linked to Mr. Kishor. They demanded an impartial inquiry into the entire matter and urged the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to investigate the source of the funds.
Mr. Tiwari added that the BJP has submitted details to the Election Commission of India regarding several social media accounts that are based outside the country. He alleged that these foreign-operated accounts were being used to influence the political atmosphere in Bihar and to disseminate abusive language against political leaders. He urged that the Commission must take strict action in such cases to ensure the fairness of the election process.
Mr. Ram on the other hand, said that the people of Bankipur stand in support of development and good governance. He alleged that attempts were being made to spread misinformation through outsiders and social media, but the voters understood the truth.
The BJP leaders demanded that the Commission should conduct an impartial inquiry into the matter and take appropriate action regarding violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and the Representation of the People Act.
Reacting to the allegation, Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) Bihar State President Manoj Bharti told The Hindu that earlier the BJP never even considered that JSP was in a fight and they used to claim that the party had a direct fight with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
“The anxiety and frustration among the BJP leaders prove that they too have admitted that their fight is with the JSP. We would also like to know what kind of proof they have submitted to the Commission in support of the allegation they have levelled against the JSP candidate. Basically, this act is childish; if at all they are raising questions on our funding, they should first disclose their funding. How much fund have they spent so far?” Mr. Bharati asked.
BJP has fielded Neeraj Kumar Sinha against Mr. Kishor, while RJD has fielded Rekha Kumari. Polling will be held on July 30, and counting of votes will take place on August 3.
Published - July 22, 2026 09:38 am IST