Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Sunday levelled serious allegations against the Patna administration ahead of the counting of votes for the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, accusing the police of attempting to influence the electoral process by intimidating voters and unlawfully detaining campaign workers.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Kishor directly targeted Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikey Kumar Sharma, alleging that the officer had overstepped his authority and acted in a politically motivated manner during the bypoll.
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“If the Patna SSP wants to do politics, he should resign from his post and enter politics,” Kishor said, calling the officer’s conduct “unprofessional.”
During the briefing, the Jan Suraaj chief displayed a notice issued by the Patna SSP’s office and presented several individuals whom he claimed had been detained by the police despite not violating any law. According to Kishor, the administration justified the detentions by stating that people who had come from outside to campaign were being held to prevent any possible disturbance to law and order.
Questioning the basis for such action, Kishor argued that those detained were inside their homes and had not breached prohibitory orders imposed in the area.
“I want to ask the Patna SSP: How can a person sleeping inside his house violate Section 144?” Kishor asked while challenging the police’s explanation.
Two individuals, identified as Naval and Neha, also addressed the media and narrated their alleged experiences of being detained by the police during the election period.
Kishor further claimed that police personnel visited Ward No. 22 and discouraged residents from participating in the voting process. He alleged that the administration interfered with the conduct of the election instead of ensuring a free and fair polling environment.
“The administration ran amok in this election,” he alleged, accusing the police of influencing voters and disrupting the democratic process.
The Jan Suraaj leader announced that he would approach the Election Commission in New Delhi within the next two days with evidence supporting his allegations. He also said he was prepared to move the Supreme Court if necessary, seeking action against what he described as irregularities committed during the bypoll.
Apart from attacking the administration, Kishor also made a political prediction ahead of the counting of votes scheduled for Monday. Confident about his party’s prospects, he claimed that the BJP would suffer a significant defeat in the constituency.
“The BJP will lose by such a margin that its leaders will forget their claim that they could field even a dog or a cat and still win the election,” Kishor remarked.
The Bankipur bypoll was necessitated after sitting MLA Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his elevation as the BJP’s national president and his subsequent entry into the Rajya Sabha from Bihar.
More than 34 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots in Thursday’s bypoll, which marked Prashant Kishor’s electoral debut. A total of 26 candidates are in the fray, including BJP nominee Neeraj Kumar Sinha and RJD candidate Rekha Gupta, with the results set to be declared on August 3.
