Three-State Bypolls: Jan Suraaj Breaks Through, BJP Retains Gujarat, Congress Holds Datia

The Assembly by-elections in Bihar, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh produced a mixed verdict on Monday, with the Jan Suraaj Party opening its electoral account in Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retaining its stronghold in Gujarat, and the Congress successfully defending its seat in Madhya Pradesh. The bypolls were held on July 30, and votes were counted in 31 rounds under tight security.

The biggest headline came from the Bankipur Assembly constituency in Bihar, where Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor registered his maiden electoral victory by defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha. The by-election was necessitated after BJP national president Nitin Nabin resigned the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha.

According to the Election Commission, Kishor secured 64,151 votes (52.2%), while Sinha polled 44,827 votes (36.5%). RJD candidate Rekha Gupta, who had lost to Nitin Nabin by more than 50,000 votes in the 2025 Assembly election, finished third with 14,270 votes (11.6%). Kishor won by a margin of 19,324 votes, ending the BJP's nearly three-decade dominance in the constituency and handing the newly formed Jan Suraaj Party its first electoral victory. The Bankipur bypoll recorded a voter turnout of 34.30 per cent, with around 1.30 lakh voters casting their ballots out of 3.79 lakh eligible electors, compared to 41.45 per cent in the previous Assembly election. Eligible voters included 2,00,060 men, 1,79,533 women and 23 third-gender voters.

Celebrations erupted at the Jan Suraaj Party headquarters and outside the counting centre at A.N. College in Patna, where supporters distributed sweets and danced as Kishor steadily widened his lead during the counting process. Earlier, JD(U) ministers Shrawon Kumar and Sunil Kumar appealed for patience until the completion of counting, while RJD working president Tejashwi Yadav offered prayers at Baba Harihar Nath Temple in Sonepur before counting began.

In Gujarat, the BJP comfortably retained the Manjalpur Assembly seat in Vadodara district. Satendrabhai Patel (Satish Patel) defeated Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari by more than 30,000 votes, reaffirming the BJP's dominance in one of its long-standing urban strongholds. The party attributed the victory to its strong organisational network and sustained public support in the constituency.

Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress retained the Datia Assembly constituency, with Ghanshyam Singh defeating BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes. Tiwari secured 60,741 votes but fell short as Congress held on to the seat despite an intense contest. The outcome was seen as significant amid reports of internal dissatisfaction within the BJP over candidate selection.

The three bypolls together delivered a split verdict for the major political parties. While the BJP retained Manjalpur but lost the high-profile Bankipur seat, the Congress defended Datia, and Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party achieved a landmark breakthrough with its first-ever electoral victory, strengthening its position ahead of the next Bihar Assembly elections.