The counting of votes for the by-elections in three BJP-ruled states concluded on Monday, with major political developments emerging from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor clinched a landmark victory in Bihar's Bankipur constituency, the Congress retained the Datia seat in Madhya Pradesh, while the BJP successfully held on to the Manjalpur assembly constituency in Gujarat. Voting for all three by-elections took place on July 30.

Prashant Kishor established an unassailable lead in Bihar's Bankipur assembly constituency, marking a significant political milestone in his first electoral contest. The seat fell vacant after BJP president Nitin Nabin resigned following his election to the Rajya Sabha. Kishor maintained his lead from the very first round of counting over BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha.

After 26 of the 31 counting rounds, Kishor led by 15,864 votes. The strong performance sparked celebrations among Jan Suraaj Party workers. The result also brought relief to the party after it failed to win any seat in the Assembly elections held in November last year.

"This is the beginning of a golden age for our party," said bureaucrat-turned-politician Manoj Bharti, who is the state president of the Jan Suraaj Party.

"In a democracy, the will of the people is supreme. The verdict is a message to parties and leaders who arrogantly think of constituencies as fiefdoms," he said.

Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Rekha Gupta remained a distant third. She had lost the seat to Nitin Nabin by nearly 50,000 votes in the previous Assembly election before he vacated it after entering the Rajya Sabha.

The atmosphere in the BJP camp changed sharply as the counting progressed. Party workers had gathered at a sweets shop in Patna during the morning to collect 200 kg of laddoos in anticipation of victory. The mood turned to disappointment as Kishor steadily widened his lead.

Kishor had stayed away from contesting the 2025 Assembly elections. He entered the Bankipur bypoll calling it a "referendum" on the BJP-led government in Bihar. He had also claimed that a victory would force Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, the BJP's first chief minister in the state, to resign.

Leaders outside the Jan Suraaj Party also welcomed Kishor's performance. Janshakti Janata Dal president Tej Pratap Yadav and Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist-Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya described the result as a setback for the BJP.

The campaign before polling remained intense. Both the BJP and the Jan Suraaj Party repeatedly accused each other of electoral malpractice. They also approached the Election Commission over their complaints.

"The verdict in Bankipur must be viewed in the backdrop of the wider dissatisfaction with the BJP which recently got reflected in the students' protests. Of course, credit must also be given to Prashant Kishor, who displayed enormous energy and organisational skills," said veteran socialist leader Shivanand Tiwary, who had been one of the foremost participants in the 'JP movement' of 1970s, and in a political career spanning many decades, has been with parties like the RJD and the Janata Dal-United.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress retained the Datia assembly seat after its candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeated BJP nominee Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes. The by-election attracted attention after reports of differences within the BJP over the choice of candidate.

At the end of all 15 rounds of counting, Ghanshyam Singh secured 66,757 votes, while Ashutosh Tiwari received 60,741 votes. Azad Samaj Party candidate Damodar Yadav finished third with 22,527 votes, according to District Election Officer and Datia District Magistrate Swapnil Wankhade.

A total of 21 candidates contested the election. Ghanshyam Singh had built a lead of 12,607 votes during the counting. The BJP candidate narrowed the gap in the later rounds, though he could not overtake the Congress nominee.

The bypoll became necessary after a Delhi court sentenced sitting Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti to three years in prison in a cheating case in April. His conviction led to the termination of his Assembly membership.

"This verdict marks the beginning of the end of the BJP," Ghanshyam Singh told reporters.

The by-election recorded a voter turnout of 71.44 per cent. Although 21 candidates were in the contest, the main fight remained between the Congress and the BJP.

In the 2023 Assembly election, Rajendra Bharti had defeated former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra by more than 7,700 votes. The BJP did not field Mishra in the bypoll and instead nominated Ashutosh Tiwari.

Ghanshyam Singh expressed confidence that the Congress would form the next government in Madhya Pradesh in 2028. He also said the party was working to make Rahul Gandhi the next Prime Minister.

He said his priority would be to promote communal harmony in Datia and end political vendetta.

"I will work to end gambling and betting rackets in the constituency," he said.

State Congress President Jitu Patwari described the result as a victory for the people of Datia. He called it a strong message for the 2028 Assembly elections and credited the collective efforts of Congress leaders.

Patwari told reporters in Bhopal that Datia voters have exposed the corruption, terror, and arrogance of the BJP-led government.

He said the people of Datia have laid the foundation for change and the BJP's departure.

In Gujarat, the BJP retained the Manjalpur assembly seat in Vadodara district. BJP candidate Satish Govindbhai Patel defeated Congress leader and former minister Bhikhabhai Rabari by 30,630 votes.

According to the Election Commission, Patel secured 55,481 votes, while Rabari received 24,851 votes after all 20 rounds of counting. The by-election witnessed a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress in the party's traditional stronghold.

Although the BJP won comfortably, its victory margin dropped sharply compared to the 2022 Assembly election, when it had won the seat by more than one lakh votes.

Thanking the voters after his victory, Patel said the people had once again shown their faith in the BJP.

"I sincerely thank the people from the bottom of my heart for preserving Manjalpur as a fortress of the Bharatiya Janata Party," Patel told reporters.

Asked about his priorities as the MLA, Patel said a BJP worker is always prepared to serve the people, especially the needy and the marginalised. "We will carry this work forward," he added.

Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari alleged that the government machinery worked against him during the election campaign.

"The entire government machinery, including ministers, was deployed against me. There was open violation of the model code of conduct, and every possible tactic was used to defeat me. I am deeply saddened by the manner in which the code was violated," he alleged.

Claiming that the contest did not take place on equal terms, Rabari said, "They (BJP) openly celebrated, beat drums and intimidated my workers, which affected voter turnout in my favour. I could not contest the election in the completely democratic manner in which it should have been fought. I have not received justice."

The BJP and the Election Commission did not immediately respond to Rabari's allegations.

The counting began at 8 am at Bhavan's School in Vadodara's Makarpura area under tight security. The by-election became necessary after senior BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Yogesh Patel died in June following a prolonged illness.

The constituency recorded a low voter turnout of 37.5 per cent, with around 82,000 of the 2.19 lakh registered voters casting their votes. Following the victory, the BJP's strength in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly increased to 162. The Congress now has 12 MLAs, while the Aam Aadmi Party has five members. Independents hold two seats and the Samajwadi Party has one MLA.