BJP Faces Setback in Bypolls

The BJP faced a setback in the recent assembly bypolls held in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar. Although the BJP or its alliance is in power in all three states, the party won only one seat in Gujarat’s Manjalpur constituency, while losing in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia and Bihar’s Bankipur seats. Political analysts believe that local issues, along with possible influence from recent Gen Z protests, may have contributed to the results.

In Datia, Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeated BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari by around 6,016 votes. In Bankipur, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by nearly 19,000 votes, ending the party’s three-decade dominance in the constituency. However, experts say it is difficult to directly link the defeats only to the Gen Z movement, as local factors and public sentiment also played a major role.