New Delhi, 04 August—By poll defeats of the BJP in Bankipur, Bihar and Datia Madhya Pradesh on its own controlled turf seems to have boosted the Opposition’s resolve to carry on the fight with more determination, a rattled saffron party has promised to undertake “through introspection” to win back people’s confidence.
The Opposition hailed the verdict in the Bankipur by-election as a sign of changing times a day after poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor wrested from the saffron party one of its safest urban bastions in Bihar for over three decades.
“It is clear that the people are tired and fed up with the BJP. They are now understanding what is happening in the country,” the Congress’s Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told reporters in Parliament House complex in New Delhi on Tuesday when asked about the bypoll results.
The BJP also suffered defeat in the by-election for the Datia Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh where it has a party government in place.
“This is the beginning,” Priyanka said.
Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav said that the BJP’s “crushing defeat” in Bankipur was the result of the “negative politics” of chief minister Samrat Choudhary.
Yadav, leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, pointed out that the BJP has lost two elections since Choudhary became the CM – the MLC poll and the Bankipur bypoll.
“CM Samrat Choudhary has totally failed to govern Bihar. Law and order has completely collapsed,” the RJD leader said.
The BJP had held the Bankipur seat since 1995. The defeat, coming days after the massive Cockroach Janta Party-led youth protests across the country, was even more stinging because the seat was last held by Nabin, whose elevation to the Rajya Sabha necessitated the by-election on July 30.
BJP president Nabin said the party will conduct a “thorough introspection” of the election results in Bankipur and Datia and work “tirelessly” to further strengthen their trust with renewed energy.
“We accept the mandate received in today’s three Assembly by-elections,” Nabin wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) late Monday.
“We will conduct a thorough introspection of the election results in both these areas with complete seriousness, and with renewed energy and determination, we will continue to go among the people and work tirelessly to further strengthen their trust,” the BJP chief said.
A revitalised Opposition has also made its presence felt in Parliament, demanding that the government answer questions, specially on the police and riot police’s use of force on protesters who were marching to parliament on July 20.
Bihar minister and senior JDU leader Shrawon Kumar described the Bankipur result as “contrary to expectations” and said the ruling NDA will review and ascertain the causes of its defeat.
Kishor, who got 64,151 votes, defeated the BJP’s Neeraj Kumar by 19,324 votes. Rekha Gupta of the RJD was a distant third with 14,273 votes. The BJP nominee was hurriedly fielded after its previous candidate Abhishek ‘Bunty’ pulled out of the fray at the eleventh hour, citing “family reasons”.
Don-turned-politician Anant Singh, a JDU MLA considered an ardent supporter of former chief minister Nitish Kumar, said people were “angry about the removal of Kumar from the CM’s post”.
“There is a popular perception that Nitish Kumar was forcibly removed from the CM’s post. They are unhappy that the man who worked for their development for such a long time was forced to leave the post. I know this is not true, but that is what people believe. This is one of the reasons behind NDA’s defeat,” Singh said.
Senior JDU leader Shyam Rajak also called for a “thorough review” of the defeat and said there was a need to prepare a “concrete action plan”.
“We respect people’s mandate and congratulate Prashant Kishor over his victory. As for us, we require a thorough review which should not be confined to the leaders, but it must involve grassroots workers of Bankipur,” Rajak told PTI video.
Meanwhile, the RSS-BJP are trying to reach out to Gen Z as Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has been getting reels uploaded on social media platforms in which he is seen addressing the youth directly.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
