All 25 Contestants Await Results as Counting Set for August 3
Patna, August 2 – The Bankaipur assembly by‑election is moving into its final stage as counting preparations are complete. The vote count will take place on August 3, and the results will decide the destiny of every one of the 25 candidates.
The district administration and the Election Commission have finalized the counting venue at Kala Bhawan and AN College in Patna. The EVMs are stored under a three‑tier security protocol that includes 25 central paramilitary companies and the Bihar Special Armed Police.
Approximately 100 security staff will be on duty in three shifts, each overseen by a DSP who will monitor the overall security framework. Only authorized officials, counting personnel, and candidates or their representatives will be permitted inside the counting hall.
The strong room will be under constant CCTV surveillance. Prior to the start of counting, the strong room will be opened in the presence of the candidates and their authorized delegates.
Counting will be executed in 30 phases across 422 polling stations, using 14 tables and about 50 staff members in addition to reserved personnel. The process will begin at 8 a.m., with postal ballots counted first, followed by EVMs roughly thirty minutes later.
An early trend is expected after noon, and the entire counting operation should be wrapped up by around 4 p.m. Candidates and their teams will receive QR‑code based passes for entry to the AN College venue; entry will be granted only after the QR code is scanned.
The passes will be issued by Returning Officer Raghavendra Pratap Singh. While 25 candidates are contesting, the primary political battle is viewed as a three‑cornered contest among the BJP, RJD and Jan Suraj Party. Key figures include BJP’s Neeraj Kumar Sinha, RJD’s Rekha Gupta and Jan Suraj Party’s Prashant Kishore, who is contesting his first direct election.
During a recent press conference, Prashant Kishore raised fresh allegations against police actions, stating that party workers were detained at several locations without clear justification and that many arrests were made while the individuals were in civilian attire.