Counting of votes for the Bankipur Assembly bypoll in Bihar, along with the Manjalpur seat in Gujarat and Datia constituency in Madhya Pradesh, began at 8 am on Monday amid tight security arrangements.
In a big win, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor secured 64151 votes and defeated BJP's Neeraj Kumar by a margin of 19324 votes in the Bankipur bypoll. The contest was closely watched as Kishor sought to break the BJP's three-decade hold over the Patna seat.
In Madhya Pradesh's Datia, the bypoll was necessitated after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti's disqualification following his conviction in a cheating case. Congress' Ghanshyam Singh retained the seat by securing 66757 seats. BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari lost the seat by a margin of 6016 votes.
The Manjalpur bypoll in Gujarat, triggered by the death of veteran BJP MLA Yogesh Patel witnessed a direct contest between the BJP and Congress. BJP's Satendrabhai Patel has won the bypoll by a margin of 30630 votes. He had secured 55481 votes. His closest rival and Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari secured 24851 votes.
The results of the three bypolls are being seen as political indicators ahead of future Assembly elections, though they are unlikely to impact the stability of the respective governments.
Counting of votes for the Datia Assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh also commenced at 8 am under tight security at the Polytechnic College, beginning with postal ballots before moving to EVMs.
A total of 21 tables, including 20 for EVM counting, were set up for the exercise, an official said.
The bypoll was necessitated after a Delhi court in April sentenced Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti to three years' imprisonment in a cheating case, leading to the termination of his Assembly membership.
The Congress fielded Ghanshyam Singh, while the BJP nominated Ashutosh Tiwari. Nineteen other candidates are also in the fray.
After the first two rounds of counting in the Datia Assembly by-election, ruling BJP's first-time candidate Ashutosh Tiwari is leading by 965 votes over his nearest rival, Congress's two-time former MLA Kunwar Ghanshyam Singh. A total of 15 rounds of counting will be held.
Voting for the July 30 bypoll recorded a turnout of 71.44 per cent. Bharti had defeated BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra by more than 7,700 votes 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 one legislator.
While the bypoll outcome is unlikely to affect the stability of the BJP government in the state, political observers believe the result carries wider significance amid recent student protests and the resignation of former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Analysts also see it as an indicator of the political standing of both the BJP and the Congress ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. The Datia bypoll is also the first electoral test for newly appointed BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal.
The counting of votes for the by-elections to the Manjalpur Assembly constituency in Gujarat and the Datia Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh also began on Monday morning amid tight security.
The Manjalpur bypoll, held on July 30, recorded a voter turnout of 37.5 per cent and was necessitated by 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 the premises of Bhavan's School in Vadodara's 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 peacefully at 260 polling stations across 62 locations. The constituency recorded a turnout of 37.5 per cent, down from 60.15 per cent in the 2022 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 went on to win the Manjalpur seat in 2012, 2017 and 2022, completing eight consecutive Assembly victories over 36 years.
Counting of votes for the Bankipur Assembly bypoll in Bihar began at 8 am on Monday, with the spotlight firmly on Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, who is contesting his maiden election and seeking to wrest the BJP stronghold.
Early trends showed Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor leading the race, while the BJP's Neeraj Kumar Sinha was in second place and the RJD's Rekha Gupta in third.
A former election strategist who launched the Jan Suraaj Party a few years ago, Kishor has made the high-profile bypoll a key test of his political appeal ahead of the 2027 Bihar Assembly elections. Victory in Bankipur would hand the fledgling party its first major electoral breakthrough.
The by-election was necessitated after BJP national president Nitin Nabin resigned from the seat in April following his election to the Rajya Sabha. Nabin had represented the constituency for five consecutive terms and won the seat in the 2025 Assembly elections by defeating the RJD's Rekha Gupta by more than 50,000 votes.
The BJP has fielded youth wing leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha, while the RJD has once again nominated Rekha Gupta.
"The counting of votes for the Bankipur by-election began amid tight security arrangements," an official said.
The July 30 bypoll recorded a voter turnout of 34.30%, down from 41.45% in the last Assembly elections. A total of 26 candidates are in the fray.
The BJP has retained the constituency since 1995, when it was known as Patna West, making the bypoll a crucial contest for Kishor as he attempts to make his electoral debut by ending the party's three-decade dominance in the seat.
The Manjalpur bypoll, which is witnessing a direct contest between the BJP and Congress, has BJP candidate Satendrabhai Patel (Satish Patel) leading with 15,981 votes. Congress nominee Bhikhabhai Rabari is trailing with 6,104 votes, with Patel holding a lead of 9,877 votes over his nearest rival.
After five rounds of counting, which covered votes from the rural areas of the Datia Assembly constituency, the remaining rounds will largely involve counting of votes from urban areas of Datia, officials said.
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor is leading in the Bankipur Assembly bypoll after five rounds of EVM counting. Kishor has secured 8,971 votes, while BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar is trailing with 6,652 votes, a margin of 2,319 votes.
RJD nominee Rekha Kumari is in third place with 1,534 votes, trailing Kishor by 7,437 votes.
BJP candidate Satendrabhai Patel (Satish Patel) is leading in the Manjalpur Assembly bypoll with 23,632 votes, while Congress nominee Bhikhbhai Rabari is trailing with 10,123 votes. Patel has a lead of 13,509 votes.
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor continues to lead in the Bankipur Assembly bypoll after six rounds of EVM counting. Kishor has secured 11,603 votes, while BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar is trailing with 8,152 votes, a margin of 3,451 votes.
RJD nominee Rekha Kumari is in third place with 2,154 votes, trailing Kishor by 9,449 votes.
Bankipur bypoll: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor continues to lead after eight rounds of EVM counting. Kishor has secured 15,637 votes, while BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar is trailing with 11,081 votes, with a margin of 4,556 votes. RJD nominee Rekha Kumari is in third place with 2,991 votes.
Manjalpur bypoll: BJP candidate Satendrabhai Patel (Satish Patel) is leading after 11 rounds of counting. Patel has received 31,283 votes, while Congress nominee Bhikhabbhai Rabari is trailing with 14,085 votes. The BJP candidate has a lead of 17,198 votes.
Datia bypoll: Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh has taken a narrow lead after five rounds of EVM counting. Singh has polled 21,047 votes, while BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari is close behind with 20,739 votes. The Congress candidate is ahead by 308 votes.
Bankipur bypoll: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has further consolidated his lead after 12 rounds of EVM counting. Kishor has secured 23,756 votes, while BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar has polled 17,110 votes, with the Jan Suraaj chief leading by 6,646 votes. RJD nominee Rekha Kumari is in third place with 4,850 votes.
Manjalpur bypoll: BJP candidate Satendrabhai Patel (Satish Patel) continues to dominate the contest after 14 rounds of counting. Patel has polled 40,510 votes and is leading by 22,509 votes over Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari, who has secured 18,001 votes.
Datia bypoll: Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh has widened his lead after six rounds of EVM counting. Singh has secured 25,856 votes, while BJP nominee Ashutosh Tiwari has polled 24,070 votes. The Congress candidate is ahead by 1,786 votes.
Amid Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor's lead in the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, Bihar Minister Shrawon Kumar said the NDA remained confident of victory and urged people to wait for the final result after all 31 rounds of counting.
"We are not denying our claim yet. When the results are declared after 31 rounds of counting, it will be known whether my claim was hollow or weighty," Kumar said.
He added that trailing in the initial rounds did not necessarily indicate defeat and claimed the NDA was confident based on its work in Bihar. Kumar also asserted that Kishor's performance would impact the RJD more than the NDA, saying, "RJD's votes are going elsewhere."
In the Bankipur bypoll, Jan Suraaj Party's Prashant Kishor has secured 38201 votes and leads by 11289. Bharatiya Janata Party's Neeraj Kumar is trailing behind. He has secured 26912 votes as of the 19th round of counting.
In Manjalpur bypoll, Bharatiya Janata Party's Satendrabhai Patel has secured 55244 votes and leads by 30567 votes. Meanwhile, Congress's Bhikhabhai Rabari has secured only 24677 votes at the end of the 19th round of counting.
In Datiya bypoll, Congress's Ghanshyam Singh is leading by 9519 votes and has secured 44958 votes. Bharatiya Janata Party's Ashutosh Tiwari has secured 35439 votes at the end of the 9th round of counting.