Bypoll results: Prashant Kishor leads in Bankipur debut as counting continues in Bihar, MP and Gujarat

Counting of votes is underway for the assembly bypolls in Bihar’s Bankipur, Madhya Pradesh’s Datia and Gujarat’s Manjalpur, with early Election Commission trends showing Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor leading in Bankipur, where he is making his electoral debut.

Bankipur by-election

The Bankipur bypoll was necessitated after former BJP MLA Nitin Nabin resigned from the seat. The contest has emerged as a three-way battle between the BJP, the RJD and the Jan Suraaj Party.

Prashant Kishor is contesting his first election from the constituency, while the BJP has fielded Neeraj Kumar Sinha. Polling was held on July 30.

Datia by-election

In Madhya Pradesh’s Datia, the main contest is between BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari and Congress nominee Ghanshyam Singh.

The bypoll was triggered after former Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified following his conviction in a fraud case by a Delhi court. Bharti later secured bail.

The BJP replaced former state home minister Narottam Mishra with Ashutosh Tiwari, a move that sparked protests from Mishra’s supporters. Datia recorded a voter turnout of 71.44 per cent on July 30.

Manjalpur by-election

The Manjalpur bypoll in Gujarat was held following the death of BJP MLA and former minister Yogesh Patel.

The BJP has fielded former Vadodara municipal councillor Satish Govindbhai Patel, while the Congress has nominated its state vice-president and former minister Bhikhabhai Rabari.

Polling took place on July 30, with the constituency recording a turnout of 37.5 per cent. In the 2022 Assembly election, the BJP retained the seat with a margin of over one lakh votes.