Bihar bastion lost to Prashant Kishor, no luck in MP: How BJP fared in 3 bypolls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) experienced losses in two assembly bypolls on Monday, relinquishing its stronghold in Bihar’s Bankipur constituency to poll strategist and politician Prashant Kishor and failing to regain control of Datia in Madhya Pradesh from the Congress party. In Bankipur, a seat vacated by BJP chief Nitin Nabin, Kishor emerged victorious, defeating the party's first-time candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by 19,324 votes.

This marked Kishor's first electoral success after the BJP's failure in the 2025 assembly elections, securing just 4% of the votes. Kishor attributed the win to the need for an improved education system, job creation, and migration control in Bihar. The BJP's chief minister, Samrat Choudhary, congratulated Kishor, acknowledging the voter's choice in the democratic process.

In Datia, the Congress retained the constituency, with Ghanshyam Singh defeating BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari by more than 6,000 votes. This victory marked Singh's fourth win in assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh. The seat had become a prestigious battleground after violent protests over the BJP's denial of ticket to former state minister Narottam Mishra, who had won the seat thrice before losing in 2023.

The BJP has decided to conduct a thorough introspection following the bypoll losses, acknowledging the defeats in Bankipur and Datia as a lack of expected mandate.