The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Prashant Kishor, the Jan Suraj Party candidate for the Bankipur Assembly by-election. BJP officials accused Kishor of surpassing the election expenditure limit set by the Election Commission, alleging that he has spent significantly more than the prescribed amount during the campaign.
According to the BJP, the Election Commission has capped the campaign expenditure at Rs 40 lakh per candidate, but Kishor is alleged to have already spent crores of rupees. The BJP further claimed that Kishor’s campaign expenses were funneled through a third-party or dummy company to hide the actual spending, rather than being directly reflected in the candidate’s election account.
Shahnawaz Hussain, a BJP National Spokesperson, raised concerns about a company with a paid-up capital of only Rs 5 lakh, incorporated in October 2023, reportedly receiving Rs 4.5 crore shortly before the election. This led to suspicions of potential money laundering, prompting the BJP to demand a comprehensive probe into the financial transactions linked to the company and the campaign.
The BJP also accused Kishor’s campaign of deploying a significant online operation to sway voters. Allegations include the use of numerous fake social media accounts, some allegedly operated from outside India, disseminating misinformation and derogatory content targeting BJP leaders. The party has formally submitted a complaint to the Election Commission, urging an investigation into the financial dealings of the Jan Suraj Party, its consultancy firm, alleged violations of election expenditure regulations, and the purported use of money power and artificial campaign tactics.
Polling for the Bankipur Assembly by-election is set for July 30, with the vote count scheduled for August 3. The main contenders in the election are Neeraj Kumar Sinha from the BJP, Prashant Kishor from the Jan Suraj Party, and Rekha Gupta from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), making it a closely contested three-way battle.
