- Counting of votes for by-elections in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat held today
- Bankipur in Bihar is a BJP stronghold with recent candidate changes causing attention
- Datia seat in Madhya Pradesh contested by BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari and Congress' Ghanshyam Singh
Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has taken an early lead in the Bankipur seat in Bihar. Besides Bankipur, the counting of votes for the crucial by-elections is also underway in Datia in Madhya Pradesh and Manjalpur in Gujarat, all BJP-ruled states. These are the first elections since the massive countrywide student protests over the paper leaks. The results are expected to point to the mood of the country, especially the young voters.
Bankipur, Bihar
Bankipur is the BJP stronghold from where no BJP candidate has ever lost. The last man to hold the seat was BJP chief Nitin Nabin, who vacated it after his election to Rajya Sabha. But this election will draw attention because of a hiccup in the BJP camp and the long-expected entry of Prashant Kishor in the electoral arena.
Last month, a day after filing nomination papers, BJP nominee Abhishek Kumar Sinha pulled out, citing "family reasons". The BJP then named youth wing leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha as its candidate.
It had sparked much mirth in the Opposition camp. Its leaders took a jibe at the BJP, saying the party was "jittery at the prospects of a defeat" in the seat vacated by the party chief.
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Tejashwi Yadav, meanwhile, had promised an unexpected outcome, saying his party candidate Rekha Gupta had received support from voters across caste, religious, and social groups and will emerge the winner.
Datia, Madhya Pradesh
In Madhya Pradesh, the Datia Assembly seat fell vacant following the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti on April 2 under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Now, the BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari - who is contesting his first assembly election -- is in a straight fight against Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh.
The seat, though, is seen to be the pocketborough of former state Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who represented it for three straight terms from 2008 to 2018. Mishra, however, lost the seat in the 2023 assembly elections. This time, the change in candidate has incensed Mishra's supporters, who have held a series of protests in the state.
Kunwar Ghanshyam Singh is a two-time former MLA and a member of the erstwhile royal family who won the seat in 1993 and 2003. He is relying on old loyalties, personal goodwill and dissatisfaction among sections of BJP workers.
Manjalpur, Gujarat
The Manjalpur seat fell vacant following the death of its sitting MLA -- the BJP's Yogeshbhai Narandas Patel, who held it for three straight terms.
The main contest here is between the BJP's former Vadodara Municipal Corporation councillor, Satish Govindbhai Patel, and former minister and Gujarat Congress vice president Bhikhabhai Rabari.
In 2022, the ruling BJP scored a record-breaking victory in the state election by winning 156 of the 182 seats.
Yogesh Patel had represented the Raopura assembly constituency in Vadodara five times between 1990 and 2007 before shifting to Manjalpur. The seat was created after delimitation, and he won in 2012, 2017 and 2022, completing eight consecutive victories in the assembly over 36 years.
