PATNA, AUG 3 (IANS) A sombre atmosphere has prevailed at the Bihar BJP office in Patna as counting trends in the Bankipur Assembly by-election continue to favour Jan Suraaj candidate Prashant Kishor.

Kishor has maintained his lead in every round counted so far, with the margin crossing 13,868 votes after 24 rounds.

Prashant Kishor has secured 48,343 votes and is leading by 13,868 votes over his nearest rival.

BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha is currently in second place with 34,566 votes, while RJD's Rekha Gupta remains third with 11,197 votes.

His sustained advantage has triggered celebrations at the Jan Suraaj camp, where supporters have been seen dancing to music and celebrating with gulal.

In contrast, the BJP office has remained unusually quiet. The party workers, who had traditionally celebrated Bankipur results at the state headquarters, appeared disappointed as the counting trends continued to go against BJP candidate Neeraj Sinha.

Only a small number of BJP workers were visible outside the party office, apart from security personnel.

The trends have come as a surprise to party workers, who had expected the BJP to retain the constituency.

Bankipur has traditionally been regarded as a strong BJP stronghold.

The seat was previously represented by Nitin Nabin, whose resignation created the vacancy that led to the by-election.

The contest is also politically significant as it is the first Assembly by-election in Bihar after Samrat Chaudhary became Chief Minister.

The NDA had earlier faced a setback in a Legislative Council by-election, and the emerging Bankipur trends have added to concerns within the BJP camp.

Vote counting is being conducted in 31 rounds, with 24 rounds completed so far.

Prashant Kishor has not surrendered the lead in any round and has continued to widen his advantage.

The three main candidates in the contest are Prashant Kishor of Jan Suraaj, Neeraj Sinha of the BJP and Rekha Gupta of the RJD.

Polling for the Bankipur by-election was held on July 30.

While the final result will be determined only after completion of all counting rounds, the sustained lead has already transformed the atmosphere surrounding the constituency.

The BJP, which has historically dominated Bankipur, is now facing the prospect of a major electoral upset, while Prashant Kishor's camp is celebrating what could become a significant breakthrough in his first Assembly election.