Prashant Kishor’s Resounding Victory in Bihar Deals Blow to BJP Stronghold

The by-election results from three Indian states—Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat—have been announced following polling on July 30. The most notable outcome was in Bihar’s Bakhri constituency, where Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraj Party, secured a landslide win against BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar.

Prashant Kishor defeated Neeraj Kumar by a margin of 19,246 votes, garnering a total of 63,946 votes compared to Kumar’s 44,700. Bakhri has long been considered a BJP stronghold, having been represented by BJP national president Nitin Navin in five consecutive terms. The seat became vacant after Nitin Navin’s recent election to the state legislative council.

Following his victory, Kishor remarked, “Becoming a legislator won’t turn Bakhri into Bangalore overnight, but within the next two to three months, you will certainly notice improvements here.” He further stated, “The people of Bakhri have sent a clear message to BJP leadership — please choose a capable leader as Bihar’s Chief Minister. Biharis were not born just to be laborers.”

In Madhya Pradesh’s Datia by-election, Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeated BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes, marking Congress’s consecutive second win over the BJP candidate in this seat. The BJP had replaced its former Home Minister Narottam Mishra’s ticket with Tiwari’s candidature, yet Tiwari was defeated even in Mishra’s own stronghold. At polling station number 121, Congress secured 291 votes while BJP was limited to 264 votes.

Meanwhile, in Gujarat’s Manjalpur assembly seat located in Vadodara, the BJP’s Satendrabhai (Satish) Patel maintained the party’s dominance by overwhelming Congress’s Bhikhabhai Rabari with a margin of 30,630 votes.

These three by-elections have triggered celebrations among the victorious parties. Following the crushing defeat of BJP’s stronghold in Bihar, the Jan Suraj Party held a joyous gathering at its Patna office. Similarly, BJP workers in Vadodara celebrated the Manjalpur victory with traditional Garba dance, while Congress rejoiced its win in Bhopal.