Prashant Kishor widens lead in Bankipur, BJP's 31-year stronghold under threat

Monday blues for BJP? Prashant Kishor, Congress set to spring twin bypoll shocks

Prashant Kishor, Congress and BJP lead in Bankipur, Datia and Manjalpur, respectively, with Bankipur poised to test whether Jan Suraaj can end the BJP's three-decade dominance.

by · India Today

In Short

  • A Bankipur win would give Jan Suraaj its first electoral victory
  • Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh looked set to retain Madhya Pradesh's Datia
  • BJP set to retain Manjalpur with strong lead

Three Assembly by-elections are throwing up three different stories as counting progresses. Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has surged ahead in Bihar's Bankipur in his electoral debut, the Congress is leading comfortably in Madhya Pradesh's Datia, and the BJP is set to retain Gujarat's Manjalpur.

The Bankipur contest is being watched closely because a win for Kishor would give Jan Suraaj its first victory, 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 kept up its advantage over the Congress, while Datia has so far shown little sign of changing hands.

In Bankipur, Kishor was ahead by 8,966 votes after 16 rounds of counting, putting him in a strong position on his electoral debut. His party, Jan Suraaj, had suffered a heavy setback in the 2025 Assembly polls, in which it drew a blank despite fielding candidates in 238 constituencies. If he goes on to win, it would mark the party's first success and break the BJP's long run in the seat, which it has held since 1995.

In Datia, trends indicated that the Congress was on course to keep the seat with Ghanshyam Singh leading the contest. In Manjalpur, BJP candidate Satish Patel was well ahead of Congress rival Bhikhabhai Rabari. Patel had secured 37,542 votes against Rabari's 16,040, giving him a lead of 21,502 votes.

As counting continues, Bankipur has emerged as the most closely watched of the three by-elections because of Prashant Kishor's debut and the possibility of Jan Suraaj opening its account. Datia looks set to stay with the Congress, while Manjalpur remains in the BJP's column.

- Ends