BJP veteran calls for introspection after party suffers twin setbacks in Datia, Bankipur by-polls
New Delhi: A day after the BJP suffered defeats in the Datia Assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh and the Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar, senior BJP leader and four-time former Madhya Pradesh MLA Yashodhara Raje Scindia appeared to call for introspection within the party.
Taking to social media platform X, Scindia posted a brief but pointed message: “Time for self-introspection!!!” Although she did not elaborate, the post came in the backdrop of the BJP’s setbacks in both by-elections and has drawn attention within political circles.
The Congress retained the Datia Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh, with its candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeating BJP nominee Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes, according to the Election Commission of India.
Ghanshyam Singh secured 66,757 votes (42.39 per cent), while Tiwari polled 60,741 votes (38.57 per cent). Damodar Yadav of the Azad Samaj Party finished third with 22,527 votes (14.30 per cent).
The Congress maintained a steady lead through most of the counting process. By the ninth round, Singh had opened a lead of 9,519 votes. Although the BJP narrowed the gap in the later rounds, it failed to overtake the Congress candidate, who eventually retained the seat for the party.
In Bihar’s Bankipur Assembly by-election, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor registered a decisive victory, marking the fledgling party’s first-ever electoral win. After 31 rounds of counting, Kishor secured 63,203 votes, comfortably defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha, who received 44,250 votes. RJD’s Rekha Gupta finished third with 14,085 votes.
Kishor’s winning margin stood at 18,953 votes. However, at the time of the latest update, the Election Commission had not yet formally declared the result.
Reacting to the outcome in Bankipur, Bihar minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha said the party respected the democratic verdict and would accept the people’s mandate.
The twin bypoll setbacks have sparked political discussions over the BJP’s performance in the two states, with Scindia’s call for “self-introspection” adding to the debate over the party’s electoral strategy and organisational approach.