The contest for the Datia Assembly by-election in Madhya Pradesh has become increasingly close, with Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh overtaking the BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari after the fourth round of counting on Monday. According to the latest figures released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), Ghanshyam Singh has secured 17,290 votes and is leading by 833 votes. Ashutosh Tiwari has polled 16,457 votes.
The latest trend marks a reversal from the opening round of counting, when the BJP candidate was ahead by more than 1,100 votes.
Speaking to ANI, Ghanshyam Singh expressed confidence that his lead would continue to grow as counting progressed. “In the third round, I’m ahead by 33 votes, and in the fourth, we’ll have a lead of eight or nine hundred. I’ll be ahead by more than a thousand, and this lead will grow with each round,” he said.
Responding to speculation about support from senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra, the Congress candidate said Mishra had not backed him, although some BJP workers had quietly extended support.
“No, he (Narottam Mishra) did not support me. But yes, many of his workers were more upset with the BJP. They helped me quietly. Narottam Mishra did not help me,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Bihar’s Bankipur Assembly constituency, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor continued to maintain a comfortable lead as counting entered the sixth round.
According to the ECI, Kishor has secured 11,603 votes and is leading by 3,451 votes over his nearest rival.
Ahead of the by-election, Kishor had said he deliberately chose to contest from Bankipur, a seat regarded as a BJP stronghold, to encourage voters to move beyond caste and religion while casting their ballots.
“When people start their electoral politics, they look for safe seats for themselves… I am doing the opposite because I am telling the people of Bihar that if Bihar is to change, they must vote beyond caste and religion. They must stop voting out of fear of Lalu for the BJP, or out of fear of the BJP for Lalu. To prove the point I am explaining to the people of Bihar, I am contesting from a place where votes should not be sought in the name of caste or religion…” Kishor had told ANI.
Bankipur, part of the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, has been represented by the BJP’s Nitin Nabin since 2010. Before him, the seat was held by his father, Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha, making it one of the BJP’s most established urban constituencies in Bihar.
The Election Commission had issued the notification for by-elections to three Assembly seats, Bankipur in Bihar, Manjalpur in Gujarat and Datia in Madhya Pradesh, on 6 July, with polling held on 30 July.
The Bankipur by-election was necessitated following Nitin Nabin’s resignation from the Assembly on 30 March 2026.
In Madhya Pradesh, the Datia seat fell vacant following the disqualification of Rajendra Bharti on 2 April 2026 under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, read with Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution of India.
Bureau Report
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