India Holds Three Assembly By-Elections Amidst Political Clashes

Voters in India cast ballots on July 30, 2026, for three Assembly by-elections in Bankipur, Bihar; Datia, Madhya Pradesh; and Manjalpur, Gujarat. The Bharatiya Janata Party fielded candidates in all three contests, including Neeraj Kumar Sinha in Bankipur, Ashutosh Tiwari in Datia, and Satish Patel in Manjalpur. Results for all three seats are scheduled for announcement on August 3.

The Bankipur poll evolved into a high-profile confrontation featuring the electoral debut of Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor. Kishor alleged that the Bihar Police detained more than 16 of his supporters at the behest of the BJP to influence the outcome and accused the party of using a fake video of Nitish Kumar to solicit votes. Conversely, BJP Bihar State General Secretary Nitin Abhishek petitioned officials for strict voter verification, claiming Jan Suraaj workers attempted to cast fraudulent votes.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Datia by-election followed the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti. The contest primarily features Ashutosh Tiwari against Congress candidate Kunwar Ghanshyam Singh. Meanwhile, the Manjalpur poll in Gujarat was triggered by the death of BJP MLA Yogesh Patel, resulting in a straight fight between Satish Patel and Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari.

To ensure a fair process, the Election Commission of India deployed extensive security, including 14 companies of paramilitary forces in Patna and 100% live webcasting at polling stations in Manjalpur.