Monday blues for BJP as Prashant Kishor, Congress deliver twin bypoll blows
Three bypolls deliver three distinct political signals, with a new party opening its electoral account, Congress pulling off a surprise in Madhya Pradesh and the BJP holding on in Gujarat.
Three Assembly by-elections have produced three different outcomes. Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has secured his first electoral victory in Bihar's Bankipur in his electoral debut; the Congress has won Madhya Pradesh's Datia, while the BJP has retained Gujarat's Manjalpur.
The Bankipur contest was being watched closely because a victory for Kishor would give Jan Suraaj its first electoral success, months after the party failed to win any of the 238 seats it contested in the November 2025 Assembly election. In Manjalpur, the BJP has retained the seat, while the Congress has won Datia.
In Bankipur, Kishor defeated BJP's Neeraj Kumar by 19,324 votes. Kishor secured 64,151 votes, while Neeraj Kumar polled 44,827 votes. RJD's Rekha Kumari finished third with 14,273 votes, trailing Kishor by 49,878 votes.
Kishor's victory in Bankipur marks Jan Suraaj's first electoral success and his first win in an election as a candidate. The party had suffered a major setback in the 2025 Assembly polls, drawing a blank despite fielding candidates in 238 constituencies. The victory also breaks the BJP's long run in the seat, which it has held since 1995.
The Bankipur bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin from the seat after he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April.
In Datia, Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeated BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes. Singh secured 66,757 votes, while Tiwari polled 60,741 votes. Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) candidate Damodar Yadav 'Mandal' finished third with 22,527 votes, trailing Singh by 44,230 votes.
Several political observers had viewed the Datia Assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh as a referendum on the BJP's popularity in the wake of massive youth protests across India that led to Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
"If the result does not go in the BJP's favour, it could trigger wider political repercussions at the national level," political analyst and author Rashid Kidwai told PTI.
In Manjalpur, Gujarat, BJP candidate Satishbhai Patel, also known as Satish Patel, won the Assembly by-election, defeating Congress rival Bhikhabhai Rabari by 30,630 votes. Patel secured 55,481 votes, while Rabari polled 24,851 votes. NOTA received 2,247 votes.
With all 20 rounds of counting complete, Patel comfortably retained the seat for the BJP, finishing well ahead of his Congress rival.
The three bypolls have produced sharply contrasting results: the BJP has retained Manjalpur, the Congress has won Datia, and Kishor has secured Jan Suraaj's first electoral victory in Bankipur.
Three Assembly by-elections have produced three different outcomes. Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has secured his first electoral victory in Bihar's Bankipur in his electoral debut; the Congress has won Madhya Pradesh's Datia, while the BJP has retained Gujarat's Manjalpur.
The Bankipur contest was being watched closely because a victory for Kishor would give Jan Suraaj its first electoral success, months after the party failed to win any of the 238 seats it contested in the November 2025 Assembly election. In Manjalpur, the BJP has retained the seat, while the Congress has won Datia.
In Bankipur, Kishor defeated BJP's Neeraj Kumar by 19,324 votes. Kishor secured 64,151 votes, while Neeraj Kumar polled 44,827 votes. RJD's Rekha Kumari finished third with 14,273 votes, trailing Kishor by 49,878 votes.
Kishor's victory in Bankipur marks Jan Suraaj's first electoral success and his first win in an election as a candidate. The party had suffered a major setback in the 2025 Assembly polls, drawing a blank despite fielding candidates in 238 constituencies. The victory also breaks the BJP's long run in the seat, which it has held since 1995.
The Bankipur bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin from the seat after he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April.
In Datia, Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeated BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes. Singh secured 66,757 votes, while Tiwari polled 60,741 votes. Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) candidate Damodar Yadav 'Mandal' finished third with 22,527 votes, trailing Singh by 44,230 votes.
Several political observers had viewed the Datia Assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh as a referendum on the BJP's popularity in the wake of massive youth protests across India that led to Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
"If the result does not go in the BJP's favour, it could trigger wider political repercussions at the national level," political analyst and author Rashid Kidwai told PTI.
In Manjalpur, Gujarat, BJP candidate Satishbhai Patel, also known as Satish Patel, won the Assembly by-election, defeating Congress rival Bhikhabhai Rabari by 30,630 votes. Patel secured 55,481 votes, while Rabari polled 24,851 votes. NOTA received 2,247 votes.
With all 20 rounds of counting complete, Patel comfortably retained the seat for the BJP, finishing well ahead of his Congress rival.
The three bypolls have produced sharply contrasting results: the BJP has retained Manjalpur, the Congress has won Datia, and Kishor has secured Jan Suraaj's first electoral victory in Bankipur.
Three Assembly by-elections have produced three different outcomes. Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has secured his first electoral victory in Bihar's Bankipur in his electoral debut; the Congress has won Madhya Pradesh's Datia, while the BJP has retained Gujarat's Manjalpur.
The Bankipur contest was being watched closely because a victory for Kishor would give Jan Suraaj its first electoral success, months after the party failed to win any of the 238 seats it contested in the November 2025 Assembly election. In Manjalpur, the BJP has retained the seat, while the Congress has won Datia.
In Bankipur, Kishor defeated BJP's Neeraj Kumar by 19,324 votes. Kishor secured 64,151 votes, while Neeraj Kumar polled 44,827 votes. RJD's Rekha Kumari finished third with 14,273 votes, trailing Kishor by 49,878 votes.
Kishor's victory in Bankipur marks Jan Suraaj's first electoral success and his first win in an election as a candidate. The party had suffered a major setback in the 2025 Assembly polls, drawing a blank despite fielding candidates in 238 constituencies. The victory also breaks the BJP's long run in the seat, which it has held since 1995.
The Bankipur bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin from the seat after he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April.
In Datia, Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeated BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes. Singh secured 66,757 votes, while Tiwari polled 60,741 votes. Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) candidate Damodar Yadav 'Mandal' finished third with 22,527 votes, trailing Singh by 44,230 votes.
Several political observers had viewed the Datia Assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh as a referendum on the BJP's popularity in the wake of massive youth protests across India that led to Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
"If the result does not go in the BJP's favour, it could trigger wider political repercussions at the national level," political analyst and author Rashid Kidwai told PTI.
In Manjalpur, Gujarat, BJP candidate Satishbhai Patel, also known as Satish Patel, won the Assembly by-election, defeating Congress rival Bhikhabhai Rabari by 30,630 votes. Patel secured 55,481 votes, while Rabari polled 24,851 votes. NOTA received 2,247 votes.
With all 20 rounds of counting complete, Patel comfortably retained the seat for the BJP, finishing well ahead of his Congress rival.
The three bypolls have produced sharply contrasting results: the BJP has retained Manjalpur, the Congress has won Datia, and Kishor has secured Jan Suraaj's first electoral victory in Bankipur.
