3 states, 3 bypolls: All eyes on PK, Ashutosh Tiwari as Bankipur, Datia, Manjalpur await verdict on Monday

Three assembly by-elections will be held on Monday across Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, with the focus on Bankipur, Datia, and Manjalpur respectively. The seats held significant political importance in their respective states, as they are considered traditional strongholds for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In Bihar's Bankipur constituency, the bypoll was necessitated after the arrest and subsequent imprisonment sentence of Congress candidate Narottam Mishra. The seat was previously represented by BJP national president Nitin Nabin, and the BJP has fielded Neeraj Kumar Sinha as their candidate. Meanwhile, the RJD's Rekha Kumari is also contesting. If the BJP fails to secure a victory, it could have serious implications for the ruling party's stability in the state, especially with the upcoming 2028 assembly elections.

Madhya Pradesh's Datia constituency is another high-profile seat, being a long-standing bastion of the BJP, represented by former home minister Narottam Mishra. Mishra was not fielded for the by-election, as his seat was lost to Congress candidate Rajendra Bharti in the 2023 assembly polls. Bharti was sentenced to three years imprisonment in a cheating case, and his membership of the assembly was terminated.

BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari has been fielded, and his victory would not likely alter the stability of the BJP government in the state. However, the bypoll has wider implications, as it occurs amidst recent student protests and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The Gujarat bypoll in Manjalpur constituency follows the death of veteran BJP MLA and former minister Yogesh Patel. The seat has been held by the party for decades, with the BJP candidate Satish Govindbhai Patel facing off against Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari. The result could be significant, as it would mark a direct contest between the two major political parties in the state.