Voting concluded on July 30th for the assembly by-elections in Bankipur, Bihar, Manjalpur, Gujarat, and Datia, Madhya Pradesh. Following the voting, vote counting is underway today, August 3rd. A large number of security forces have been deployed at the counting centers. Of these three seats, the most talked about are Bankipur in Bihar and Datia in Madhya Pradesh, which are being closely watched by people across the country. While the Congress candidate is leading in Datia, Prashant Kishore of Jansuraj is leading in Bankipur. Meanwhile, the BJP candidate is leading in Manjalpur, Gujarat.
After the 20th round of counting, Prashant Kishor is leading by 11,621 votes. BJP’s Neeraj Sinha came in second with 28,548 votes, while Prashant Kishor received 40,169 votes. The RJD candidate received 10,035 votes. After the 20th round, celebrations were held at the Jan Suraj office with abir-gulal (colourful powder) and sweets.
Congress is leading in the Datia by-election results. Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari said, “This election has exposed the true face of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh. This is the result of the collective efforts of our team in Madhya Pradesh. The people of the state have signaled a change. Even if he (BJP’s Narottam Mishra) had contested the election, he would have lost.”
BJP’s victory in Manjalpur
is considered almost certain. Counting has been completed in 18 of the 20 rounds. After the 18th round, the BJP is leading by 52,921 votes. Congress, with 23,913 votes, is trailing by 29,008 votes.