BJP loses Bihar, Madhya Pradesh seats, wins Gujarat

The Bharatiya Janata Party suffered significant defeats in two of three closely watched state assembly by-elections on Monday, August 3, 2026, losing traditional strongholds in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh while retaining a seat in Gujarat. The results prompted party president Nitin Nabin to pledge a thorough review of the unexpected outcomes.

In a landmark result, political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor won the Bankipur seat in Bihar on his electoral debut, ending the BJP's uninterrupted 30-year hold on the constituency. Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by a margin of 19,324 votes. The bypoll was necessitated after Nabin, a five-term incumbent who had represented the seat since 2006, vacated it following his election to the Rajya Sabha in April. The BJP had held the seat, formerly known as Patna West, since 1995.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress retained the Datia assembly seat, defeating the BJP candidate by over 6,000 votes. That by-election followed the disqualification of the previous Congress MLA after a criminal conviction. The BJP secured its sole victory in Gujarat's Manjalpur constituency, where its...