Bankipur bypoll: Khesari Lal Yadav's Prashant Kishor endorsement sparks RJD row
Synopsis
Bhojpuri star Khesari Lal Yadav's open backing of Jan Suraaj's Prashant Kishor in the Bankipur bypoll has cracked the RJD alliance's united front — with a key ally now demanding his expulsion. In Bihar's celebrity-saturated political culture, the endorsement carries weight well beyond one actor's personal choice.
Key Takeaways
Khesari Lal Yadav publicly endorsed Jan Suraaj candidate Prashant Kishor for the Bankipur Assembly by-election .
Gupta , MLA and president of the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) , has demanded Tejashwi Yadav expel Khesari Lal from the RJD .
Gupta cited Lalu Prasad Yadav's past support for Khesari Lal — including fielding him as a party candidate — as grounds for expecting loyalty.
Khesari Lal had previously announced he was stepping back from active politics, leaving his RJD membership status ambiguous.
Tejashwi Yadav is currently abroad; the demand for action awaits his return.
The political temperature in Bihar has risen sharply ahead of the Bankipur Assembly by-election, after Bhojpuri actor and singer Khesari Lal Yadav publicly backed Jan Suraaj candidate Prashant Kishor, drawing fierce pushback from within the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led opposition alliance. The endorsement has put a spotlight on questions of party loyalty and political identity in one of Bihar's most closely watched recent bypolls.
The Demand for Disciplinary Action
I.P. Gupta, MLA from Saharsa and president of the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) — an ally of the RJD — has called on Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav to expel Khesari Lal from the party. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Gupta said the actor's public support for a rival candidate was flatly inconsistent with the loyalty expected of someone associated with the RJD.
Gupta argued that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav had stood firmly behind Khesari Lal during past difficulties — even fielding him as a party candidate in an election. 'In such circumstances, campaigning for a candidate belonging to another political party amounted to a breach of party discipline,' Gupta alleged. He added that while he is not himself an RJD member, he would urge Tejashwi to take strict action upon his return from abroad.
What Khesari Lal Said
The controversy was triggered a day earlier when Khesari Lal Yadav described Prashant Kishor as 'an educated and capable leader' and appealed to Bankipur voters to support him, asking them to cast their ballots with their children's future in mind. The statement was notable in its directness — an unambiguous call to vote for a candidate from outside the RJD bloc.
Notably, Khesari Lal had previously announced that he was stepping back from active politics, leaving his formal membership status with the RJD unclear. That ambiguity has done little to blunt the political fallout; leaders across the RJD-led alliance have moved quickly to question his loyalty and demand action.
Prashant Kishor and the Bankipur Contest
Prashant Kishor, founder of Jan Suraaj, is contesting the Bankipur by-election as part of his broader political experiment in Bihar — a movement he has positioned as an alternative to the state's entrenched party structures. The by-election had already drawn significant attention given the profiles of the candidates and parties involved; Khesari Lal's endorsement has added another layer of political intrigue to the contest.
This is not the first time a celebrity figure's political alignment has unsettled Bihar's opposition arithmetic. The state's Bhojpuri film industry has long been a soft-power arena for political parties, making endorsements from its stars disproportionately visible.
What Happens Next
All eyes are now on Tejashwi Yadav, who is currently abroad, and whether he will act on Gupta's demand upon his return. The episode has broader implications for the cohesion of the RJD-led alliance ahead of what is shaping up to be a competitive bypoll. Whether Khesari Lal's remarks materially shift voter sentiment in Bankipur remains to be seen, but the political noise they have generated is unlikely to die down before polling day.
Point of View
But that arrangement cuts both ways: stars with mass followings are difficult to discipline without amplifying the controversy. Gupta's demand for expulsion, notably coming from an ally rather than from within the RJD itself, suggests Tejashwi Yadav may be calculating the cost of acting versus the cost of silence. Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has now secured a high-visibility endorsement at no political cost to itself — which may be the most significant takeaway from the entire episode.
NationPress
21 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Khesari Lal Yadav's endorsement of Prashant Kishor controversial?
Khesari Lal Yadav has been associated with the RJD, which is part of the opposition alliance contesting the Bankipur bypoll. His public support for Jan Suraaj candidate Prashant Kishor — a rival — has been called a breach of party discipline by RJD ally I.P. Gupta, who has demanded his expulsion.
Who is Prashant Kishor and why is he contesting the Bankipur bypoll?
Prashant Kishor is a political strategist turned activist who founded Jan Suraaj, a political movement in Bihar. He is contesting the Bankipur Assembly by-election as part of his effort to build an alternative to Bihar's established party structures.
What action has been demanded against Khesari Lal Yadav?
I.P. Gupta, MLA from Saharsa and president of the Indian Inclusive Party, has urged Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav to expel Khesari Lal from the RJD. Gupta said he would raise the demand formally when Tejashwi returns from abroad.
Is Khesari Lal Yadav still a member of the RJD?
His membership status is unclear. Khesari Lal had earlier announced he was distancing himself from active politics, but no formal exit from the RJD has been confirmed. The ambiguity has not prevented the controversy from escalating within the alliance.
What is the significance of the Bankipur Assembly by-election?
The Bankipur bypoll has attracted outsized attention in Bihar due to the high-profile candidates and parties involved, including Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj. Khesari Lal's endorsement has added a new dimension to an already closely watched contest.
