Counting of votes for the Bankipur assembly bypoll in Bihar began at 8 am here on Monday, with all eyes on whether debutant Prashant Kishor of Jan Suraaj Party wrests the seat from the BJP.The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who gave up the seat in April upon election to the Rajya Sabha.”The counting of votes began amid tight security arrangements,” an official said.The bypoll, held on July 30, recorded a voter turnout of 34.3 per cent, down by more than seven per cent from the 41.45 per cent registered in the last assembly election.A total of 26 candidates are in the fray.Nabin had won the assembly seat for the fifth consecutive time in November 2025, defeating nearest rival Rekha Gupta of the RJD by over 50,000 votes.The RJD again nominated Gupta for the by-election.Kishor, a former poll strategist who launched the Jan Suraaj Party a few years ago, is contesting his first election, while the BJP, which has never lost the assembly segment since 1995 when it was known as Patna West, has fielded low-key youth wing leader Neeraj Sinha.