Jan Suraaj Founder Prashant Kishor Leads From Bankipur In First Electoral Test, Early Trends Show

Bankipur: Jan Suraaj Party founder and former poll strategist Prashant Kishor is leading from the high-profile Bankipur seat, where he is making his poll debut, as per early trends released by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The BJP has pitted Neeraj Kumar Sinha against Kishor.

High-stakes three-cornered contest

The Bankipur assembly by-election was held after former MLA Nitin Nabin resigned from the seat after being appointed as BJP president, leaving the seat vacant. The contest has turned into a three-cornered fight involving the BJP, Jan Suraaj Party and the RJD. Voting took place on July 30, 2026. The results will be declared later in the day.

Counting underway elsewhere

Besides, vote counting for the Datia by-election is also underway in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat's Manjalpur constituency.

In Datia, the electoral contest is primarily between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ashutosh Tiwari and Congress nominee Ghanshyam Singh, with both parties expressing confidence about their prospects, reported news agency IANS.

The by-election is also being viewed as the first electoral challenge for newly appointed BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal, making the outcome politically significant for the ruling party's organisational leadership in Madhya Pradesh.

In Bihar, counting of votes polled in the Bankipur Assembly by-election is underway at Kala Bhawan in Patna under tight security arrangements.

The fate of 25 candidates will be decided as election officials oversee the counting process.

Authorities have put in place elaborate security measures, with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) having remained under a three-layer security cover until the commencement of counting.

Meanwhile, counting is also in progress for the Manjalpur Assembly by-election in Gujarat, which was necessitated following the demise of BJP MLA and former minister Yogesh Patel.

The constituency had recorded a voter turnout of 37.5 per cent during polling on July 30.

The principal contest in Manjalpur is between BJP candidate Satish Govindbhai Patel and Congress leader Bhikhabhai Rabari.

As counting progresses across all three constituencies, political parties are closely monitoring the trends as the final results are expected to be announced later in the day.

(Inputs from IANS)