"The 30-year gap has been filled in just 30 days," Prashant Kishor declared on Monday after winning the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, turning his first electoral contest into the Jan Suraaj Party's maiden entry into the Bihar Assembly.
Kishor defeated the BJP in a constituency that had remained its stronghold for more than three decades. The victory gives Jan Suraaj its first-ever seat in the state legislature after the party failed to open its account in the 2025 Assembly elections.
'Not just an election to choose an MLA'
Kishor described the bypoll as more than a contest for a single Assembly seat, saying the outcome reflected what the people of Bihar expected from the state's leadership.
"The people of Bankipur have won and as we discussed during the election campaign, this is not an election to make a MLA," he said.
"This is an effort by the people of Bihar to convey this message to the central leadership of the BJP that make a good person a CM in Bihar."
He maintained that Bihar's priorities should centre on education, employment and governance rather than political calculations.
"Winning or losing the MLA is political, it goes on," Kishor said while thanking those who supported him and adding that he would continue working to win the confidence of those who did not vote for him.
Focus on jobs, education and migration
Kishor said the people of Bihar were looking for leadership that could improve opportunities within the state so that young people were not forced to leave home in search of work.
“The important point is that Bihar needs good leadership and real development... We do not want to become MLAs merely to award contracts. Our sole objective is the development of Bihar," he said.
Earlier, he had also said, “As we stated during the election campaign, this was not just an election to choose an MLA. It was an attempt by the people of Bihar to send a message to the BJP's central leadership that they should appoint a good person as the Chief Minister of Bihar.”
BJP fortress faces rare setback
The result marks a significant moment for Bankipur, a constituency represented for decades by senior BJP leader Nitin Nabin and his father, Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha. The bypoll was necessitated after Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha and appointment as the BJP's national president.
The BJP fielded Neeraj Kumar Sinha after replacing its original nominee, Abhishek Kumar Sinha, shortly after his nomination. The Congress-RJD alliance fielded Rekha Gupta, but the contest largely turned into a direct battle between Kishor and the BJP.
Kishor's first electoral test after years as strategist
The Bankipur bypoll was Kishor's first election as a candidate after years of managing campaigns for several political parties across the country.
After Jan Suraaj failed to win a seat in the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls, the by-election became an important test for the party's political future. During the campaign, Kishor repeatedly described the contest as a referendum on the BJP-led government in Bihar and sought support on issues including governance, education, employment and corruption, while positioning Jan Suraaj as an alternative to both the NDA and the RJD-Congress alliance.
Madhya Pradesh: Congress holds Datia, Ghanshyam Singh wins by 6,016 votes
Meanwhile, the Congress on Monday retained the Datia Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh, with the party candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeating his nearest rival Ashutosh Tiwari of the BJP by 6,016 votes in the byelection marked by differences in the saffron camp over the choice of candidate.
At the end of all 15 rounds of counting, Singh secured 66,757 votes, while Tiwari polled 60,741 votes. Azad Samaj Party candidate Damodar Yadav secured third position by bagging 22,527 votes, District Election Officer and Datia District Magistrate Swapnil Wankhade told PTI.
A total of 21 candidates were in the fray, including Ghanshyam Singh and Ashutosh Tiwari.
The byelection was necessitated after a Delhi court in April this year sentenced sitting Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti to three years' imprisonment in a cheating case, leading to the termination of his Assembly membership.
"This verdict marks the beginning of the end of the BJP," Ghanshyam Singh told reporters.
In Bhopal, celebrations broke out at the state Congress headquarters with party workers distributing sweets.
A total of 21 candidates contested the by-election, which saw a healthy 71.44 per cent voter turnout, though the main fight was between Congress' Singh and Tiwari of the ruling BJP.
BJP retains Manjalpur seat in Gujarat
The BJP on Monday retained the Manjalpur Assembly seat in Gujarat's Vadodara district, with its candidate Satish Patel defeating Congress nominee Bhikhabhai Rabari by more than 30,000 votes in the by-election.
According to the Election Commission, Patel secured 55,481 votes, while Rabari polled 24,851 votes after all 20 rounds of counting, giving the former a winning margin of 30,630 votes.
The bypoll, held on July 30, recorded a voter turnout of 37.5 per cent.
The election was necessitated by the death of senior BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Yogesh Patel on June 2 following a prolonged illness.
The BJP had fielded former Vadodara Municipal Corporation councillor Satish Govindbhai Patel, while the Congress nominated its Gujarat vice president and former minister Bhikhabhai Rabari. Only the two candidates were in the fray.
With the victory, the BJP's strength in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly goes up to 162. The Congress has 12 MLAs, followed by the Aam Aadmi Party with five, two Independents and a Samajwadi Party legislator.