PATNA, July 11 -- In a dramatic turn of events, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday replaced its candidate for the July 30 Bankipur assembly by-election after Abhishek Kumar Sinha alias "Bunty" withdrew his candidature barely 30 hours after filing his nomination, citing "family reasons". Abhishek submitted his resignation to BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi shortly after the NDA coordination meeting convened by chief minister Samrat Choudhary concluded in Patna. The party promptly accepted his request and announced 32-year-old Neeraj Kumar Sinha as its new candidate for the prestigious urban constituency. Addressing a brief press conference at the BJP's state headquarters, Abhishek thanked the party leadership for reposing faith in him and said he was withdrawing from the contest due to "family reasons". He added that he would continue to serve the party as a dedicated worker. He did not take any questions before leaving the venue. Expressing gratitude after being named the new candidate, Neeraj Sinha said his elevation reflected the BJP's commitment to grassroots workers. "I could never have imagined becoming the party's candidate. I started as a booth president, distributing voter slips. For a booth-level worker to reach this stage is unimaginable. I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP national president Nitin Nabin and state president Sanjay Saraogi," he said. Asked when he would file his nomination, Neeraj said, "My party will decide that." The last date of filing nomination for the Bankipur by-poll is July13. Opposition RJD's nominee Rekha Gupta has already filed her nomination on July 9. A graduate in arts, Neeraj joined the BJP as a primary member in 2006 and began his organisational journey as booth president of the Narendra Bharti Mandal. He later served as its mandal general secretary, district vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), and twice as mandal president. He currently heads the Narendra Bharti Mandal. According to the BJP, Neeraj's uncle, the late Narendra Bharti, was a dedicated Jan Sangh worker who died in 1984. The party later renamed the mandal in his honour. Earlier at around 4.44pm on Friday, BJP spokesperson Danish Iqbal informed the media about a press conference at 5.15pm at its state party office at Beer Chand Patel Marg in Patna. In the presser lasting around 90 seconds, Abhishek Sinha read out the contents of the letter he submitted to the state president, thanking him and the leadership for considering him as the party candidate for the Bankipur assembly by-election. He said he was withdrawing his candidature due to "family reasons". Abhishek did not take any question, as Iqbal and legislator Sanjay Mayukh, who were accompanying Abhishek, quickly ushered him out of the Atal Sabhagar, the venue of the press conference. Top BJP state leaders are tighlipped about the actual reason behind Abhishek's withdrawal of nomination. RJD state chief spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav said, "The BJP has bowed under pressure of RJD candidate Rekha Gupta, who has got big influence in the constituency and is all set to win. The decision only shows how much respect the BJP has for its grassroot party workers, as he was changed within a day of his filing the much-hyped nomination." The Bankipur bypoll was necessitated after BJP national president Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha. Polling is scheduled for July 30, while counting of votes will take place on August 3....