Stunning Electoral Debut: Prashant Kishor Breaches BJP Fortress in Bankipur; Congress and BJP Retain Datia, Manjalpur

THE BY-ELECTIONS in three states have come to an end, with the Election Commission of India declaring the results. The bypolls were held on July 30, 2026, while the counting of votes began at 8:00 AM on Monday, August 3, 2026. Although the Datia and Manjalpur constituencies followed their previous electoral trends, the result from the Bankipur constituency came as a surprise to many.

Madhya Pradesh's Datia Assembly constituency saw Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh emerge victorious, defeating the BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari. In Gujarat's Manjalpur constituency, BJP candidate Satish Patel retained the seat by defeating Congress nominee Bhikhabhai Rabari. While the outcomes in Datia and Manjalpur were largely on expected lines, it was the Bankipur bypoll that turned heads 

The Bankipur seat witnessed the victory of political strategist-turned-politician and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor. Marking his electoral debut, Kishor contested his first-ever election and secured a landmark victory. While he has played a key role as a political strategist behind several successful election campaigns for different political parties over the years, this was the first time he entered the electoral fray as a candidate himself. 

Here's a look at how the results unfolded in all three constituencies:

See Also: Congress Retains Datia Bypoll Seat as Ghanshyam Singh Defeats BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 Votes

Prashant Kishor ends BJP's dominance in Bankipur 

Everyone is shocked, while the BJP is left disappointed, as Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has won the Bankipur Assembly seat, ending the BJP's nearly three-decade dominance in the constituency. Bankipur had remained a BJP stronghold since 1995, making Kishor's victory one of the biggest political developments in Bihar ahead of the next Assembly elections.

The by-election was necessitated after former MLA Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha. The contest marked Prashant Kishor's electoral debut, drawing nationwide attention as the political strategist-turned-politician challenged the BJP in one of its strongest bastions and emerged victorious.

At the end of the counting process, Prashant Kishor secured 64,151 votes, defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by a margin of 19,324 votes. Neeraj Kumar polled 44,827 votes. The victory also marks the Jan Suraaj Party's first-ever foothold in the Bihar Assembly. After his win, Kishor addressed reporters and promised visible improvements in the Bankipur constituency within three months. He also thanked the people of Bankipur for placing their trust in him.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders accepted the public mandate and congratulated Kishor on his victory. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the election as a "grand festival of democracy" and said the party respected the people's verdict before congratulating Kishor in a post on X. Reacting to the outcome, Bihar minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha also said the BJP accepted the democratic mandate. He emphasised that the party does not blame the Election Commission or Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) when it loses an election and would instead review the reasons behind its defeat.

Congress holds seat with Ghanshyam Singh's victory  in Datia 

The Datia Assembly by-election in Madhya Pradesh ended in a victory for the Congress, with party candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeating BJP nominee Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes. After the completion of all 15 rounds of counting, Ghanshyam Singh secured 66,757 votes, while Tiwari polled 60,741 votes.

See Also: Gujarat bypoll: BJP’s Satish Patel wins Manjalpur seat by over 30,000 votes

The by-election was necessitated after a Delhi court, in April this year, sentenced sitting Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti to three years' imprisonment in a cheating case. As a result, his Assembly membership was terminated, leading to the bypoll. Voting was held on July 30, recording a voter turnout of 71.44 per cent, while counting began at 8 a.m. A total of 21 candidates contested the election.

The Datia bypoll was closely watched despite not affecting the stability of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh. Reacting to the victory, Ghanshyam Singh said the result was the people's verdict and marked the beginning of the end of the BJP in the state. State Congress chief Jitu Patwari also hailed the outcome, describing it as a victory for the people of Datia. He said the electorate had laid the foundation for change and the BJP's departure from power.

BJP Retains Stronghold as Satish Patel Wins Manjalpur Bypoll

The Manjalpur Assembly constituency was created in 2008, and since then it has remained a BJP stronghold, with Yogesh Patel consistently winning the seat. One of the BJP's most prominent leaders in Vadodara, Patel represented Manjalpur from its formation until his death. The by-election was necessitated following the demise of senior BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Yogesh Patel, who passed away after a prolonged illness.

Despite his absence, the BJP managed to retain its stronghold in the constituency, with Satendrabhai (Satish) Patel defeating Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari by a margin of 30,630 votes. According to the Election Commission, Satish Patel secured 55,481 votes, while Rabari polled 24,851 votes. After his victory, Satish Patel thanked the voters for reaffirming their faith in the BJP and described Manjalpur as a "fortress" of the party.

Meanwhile, Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari alleged that the election was not conducted on a level playing field. He accused the BJP of misusing government machinery and claimed there were widespread violations of the Model Code of Conduct during the campaign. Although the BJP retained the seat, its victory margin declined significantly compared to the 2022 Gujarat Assembly election, when the party had won Manjalpur by a record margin of 1,00,754 votes.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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