BJP candidate Satish Patel has taken an early lead of 3,519 votes over Congress rival Bhikhabhai Rabari in the counting of votes. According to the latest trends, Patel has secured 6,287 votes so far, while Rabari has polled 2,768 votes. 

Counting of votes for the by-election to the Manjalpur assembly seat in Gujarat's Vadodara city began on Monday morning amid tight security, officials said.

The bypoll, held on July 30, recorded a voter turnout of 37.5 per cent. The election was necessitated due to the death of senior BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Yogesh Patel on June 2 following a prolonged illness.

The counting exercise commenced at 8 am on Bhavan's School premises in the Makarpura area as per Election Commission guidelines, with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) being taken up for counting under multi-layered security arrangements.

The by-election witnessed a direct contest between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress.

The BJP fielded former Vadodara Municipal Corporation councillor Satish Govindbhai Patel, while the Congress nominated its Gujarat vice president and former minister Bhikhabhai Rabari.

Polling was conducted at 260 polling stations across 62 locations and passed off peacefully without any untoward incident.

The constituency had recorded a voter turnout of 60.15 per cent in the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections.

Yogesh Patel, an eight-term BJP legislator, represented the Raopura assembly constituency in Vadodara five times between 1990 and 2007 before shifting to the newly created Manjalpur seat after delimitation.

He won the Manjalpur seat in 2012, 2017 and 2022, completing eight consecutive victories in the Gujarat assembly over a span of 36 years. 

(PTI)

Counting of votes for the Bankipur assembly bypoll in Bihar began at 8 am here on Monday, with all eyes on whether debutant Prashant Kishor of Jan Suraaj Party wrests the seat from the BJP.

The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who gave up the seat in April upon election to the Rajya Sabha.

"The counting of votes for the Bankipur by-election began amid tight security arrangements," an official said.

The bypoll, held on July 30, recorded a voter turnout of 34.30 per cent, down by more than seven per cent from the 41.45 per cent registered in the last assembly elections.

A total of 26 candidates are in the fray this time.

Nabin had won the assembly seat for the fifth consecutive time in November 2025, defeating nearest rival Rekha Gupta of the RJD by over 50,000 votes.

The RJD again nominated Gupta for the by-election.

Prashant Kishor, a former poll strategist who launched the Jan Suraaj Party a few years ago, is contesting his first election, while the BJP, which has never lost the assembly segment since 1995 when it was known as Patna West, has fielded low-key youth wing leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha.

(PTI)

The nondescript Bankipur bypoll in Bihar is now making national headlines. Two factors have made the bypoll interesting -- Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor throwing his hat into the ring and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigning in the wake of the Gen Z protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. 

While poll pundits wait to discern the impact of these developments on the BJP's political influence in the state, the party's national president, Nitin Nabin, is unfazed.

The outcome of the Datia assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh may not alter the stability of the BJP government in the state, but political observers believe it carries wider implications, coming against the backdrop of recent student protests and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

According to analysts, the closely watched result, slated for Monday, could significantly shape the political standing of both the ruling BJP and Opposition Congress in the state ahead of the 2028 assembly elections.

Political analyst and author Rashid Kidwai noted that the Datia contest had become a prestige battle for both the BJP and the Congress because it was held in the backdrop of students' unrest and Pradhan's resignation.

"If the result does not go in the BJP's favour, it could trigger wider political repercussions at the national level," Kidwai told PTI.

Kidwai said that the Datia contest was equally crucial for the Congress, as the Opposition party is seeking to retain the seat it won in the 2023 assembly elections.

"If the Congress wins, it will try to project the verdict as an expression of youth anger and claim that the political tide has started to turn against the BJP," he said.

Kidwai further pointed out that the bypoll carried significance for former state home minister Narottam Mishra, who was denied a ticket by the saffron party.

"If the BJP loses, Mishra's role and political future are likely to come under scrutiny," he said.

Talking to PTI, senior journalist Suresh Mehrotra said that a victory for the Congress will further strengthen state party chief Jitu Patwari within the organisation, while a BJP win will reinforce Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's position, but a defeat could embolden his detractors within the party.

(PTI)

Counting of votes for the Datia Assembly by-election will begin at 8 am on Monday after polling recorded a turnout of 71.44% on July 30.

The contest is mainly between BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari and Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh, though 21 candidates, including Azad Samaj Party's Damodar Singh Yadav, are in the fray. The bypoll is also seen as the first electoral test for newly appointed BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal.

The seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti lost his Assembly membership following a Delhi court's conviction order in a cheating case. The BJP did not field former state home minister Narottam Mishra, who had lost the seat to Bharti in the 2023 Assembly elections.

In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the BJP has 164 MLAs, the Congress 64 and the Bharat Adivasi Party.

The counting of votes for the Bankipur Assembly by-election will begin at 8 am on Monday, with the fate of 25 candidates set to be decided.

Preparations have been completed at Kala Bhawan in AN College, Patna, where votes from 422 polling stations will be counted over 30 rounds. Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by EVM votes.

Officials said the counting centre is under tight security, with EVMs kept in a strong room under three-layer protection and CCTV surveillance. Central paramilitary forces and Bihar Special Armed Police personnel have been deployed at the venue.

Initial trends are expected around noon, while the final result is likely by late afternoon. Only authorised personnel, candidates and their representatives carrying QR code-based passes will be allowed entry.