'BJP fears losing': Prashant Kishor alleges supporters 'picked up' before bypoll

PATNA: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Thursday alleged that the Bihar Police had picked up several of his supporters at the behest of the ruling BJP, claiming it "fears losing the Bankipur assembly bypoll."Making his electoral debut from the Bankipur seat, Kishor made the allegation just hours before voting was set to begin in the bypoll, which was necessitated by BJP president Nitin Nabin's resignation. "I have been camping here for the past few hours, and the police is unable to divulge whereabouts of more than 16 of my supporters who have been rounded up, " Kishor told PTI."I am not describing these as arrests since there is no record of which of my people have been named in which case. I came to this police station after learning that they had been kept at the Jakkanpur police station. But, here I am told that they have all been taken to different police stations. The SHO here even claims that the police station was not involved in the detentions, which were carried out at the instance of higher-ups," the former poll strategist alleged.Police officials were, however, not immediately available for comments on Kishor's allegations.The Jan Suraaj Party founder claimed that "clearly, the ruling BJP is behind these detentions"."It knows it is going to lose the bypoll. The police can keep a person in custody for 24 hours without producing him before a magistrate. So a plan has been devised to keep some of my supporters in custody till the time voting is over," he claimed. He said this "misuse of administrative" machinery, however, cannot ensure the victory of the ruling NDA, which roped in "almost all 201 of its MLAs" for the campaign."Realising that the ground was slipping from under its feet, the BJP even got a fake video of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar in which the longest serving chief minister of Bihar was shown as seeking votes for its candidate," Kishor alleged.While 26 candidates are contesting the Bankipur bypoll, the main contest is seen as being between Kishor and BJP's Neeraj Kumar Sinha, a youth wing leader.The Jan Suraaj Party leader added, "I am sitting at the police station to highlight the sheer lack of professionalism on part of the police. The SHO here has tried to intimidate us and threatened to book one of my party colleagues under the draconian prohibition law. Once we are through with the bypoll, we will definitely press for action against the erring police officials." Meanwhile, 4.61% polling was recorded till 9am in the Bankipur assembly bypoll.All eyes are on this seat as it was vacated by BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha.The seat has been held by the BJP since 1995.(With agency inputs)