PATNA, July 16 -- In a setback for Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) ahead of the July 30 Bankipur assembly by-election, several of its prominent leaders, including three former assembly candidates, joined the BJP along with their supporters at the state BJP headquarters in Patna on Wednesday. Among those who joined the BJP were renowned mathematician Prof KC Sinha, former Jan Suraaj candidate from Kumhrar; Ritesh Ranjan Singh alias Bittu Singh, former candidate from Digha; and Sandeep Kumar Singh alias Gopal Singh, former candidate from Maner. Several other leaders and social workers, including mayoral candidate Vineeta Bittu Singh, Dr Kishore Kumar, Brajkishore Sinha alias Gopu Ji, Brahmadev Manjhi, Sunil Yadav, Raju Yadav, Ranjeet Singh, Rambabu Yadav, Shubham Singh, Mantu Rai and Sadhu Ji, also joined the BJP along with their supporters. After joining the BJP, Prof Sinha said he joined the BJP to contribute toward making India a global leader through education. "In the current situation, national interest is paramount. Amid the clouds of war hovering across the world, the hands of the central government need to be strengthened so that India's voice can resonate globally. India had once led the world as Vishwaguru and must regain that position, especially through excellence in education," said Prof Sinha. For Bittu Singh and Gopal Singh, the return to BJP was a "homecoming". Bittu Singh apologised for joining Jan Suraaj in the "heat of the moment" and said he will remain with the BJP forever. "I will not leave the BJP now; I will live and die here." He expressed his complete faith in the BJP's ideology and leadership, affirming that he would work for the party with devotion. Taking a swipe at Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, Gopal Singh said, "When I contested on a Jan Suraaj ticket from Maner last year, I realised there was no vision there, only hollow talk. Above all, an arrogant person can never run an organisation. That is why we have returned to our home," he said. Singh said he had worked for the BJP in the 1990s. He described the BJP as a strong organisation and pledged to work towards strengthening it with full commitment. Reacting to the crossover, JSP spokesperson Tarique Anwar Champarni said, "This is nothing but pressure tactics of the BJP to poach our party members. The BJP is resorting to pressure politics." Talking about Prof Sinha, Champarni said, "He is a simple person and a perfect gentleman. He was with us, sitting next to Prashant Kishor even on the day our leader's candidature was announced for Bankipur. I don't know what was his compulsion to move to the BJP. Even today, as he joined the BJP, he extended his best wishes to Prashant Kishor. I wish him good luck." Sinha, perceived as the prominent intellectual Kayastha face of the JSP, finished third, having polled a total of 15,017 votes with a vote share of 8.72%, when he contested from the Kumhrar constituency on the JSP ticket during the Bihar assembly election in 2025. The upper caste community is influential in Bankipur constituency, having 14% Kayastha among the 33% upper caste voters. Bittu Singh, who contested from the Digha constituency as the JSP candidate, finished third, having polled 22,071 votes, with a vote share of 13.55% Gopal Singh, who contested the 2025 Bihar assembly election as a JSP candidate from the Maner constituency, finished third with 3,980 votes and a vote share of 1.80%. Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi welcomed the new entrants and said their induction would further strengthen the party's organisation across Patna and adjoining areas. "Inspired by the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, there has been a rush among politicians of opposition parties across the country to join the saffron party. People from all over the country want to join it," he said. He said the induction of leaders with strong grassroots influence from Kumhrar, Digha and Maner would provide fresh momentum to the party's organisational network. Their experience, public outreach and social acceptability, he said, would strengthen the BJP's efforts to expand its base and take the party's ideology and development agenda to more people. The move comes ahead of the high-stakes Bankipur assembly by-election on July 30, where Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor is challenging BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha....