The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 10 July 2026 announced candidates for the upcoming Assembly by-elections in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, with the party's Central Election Committee confirming the names through a press release issued from its central office in New Delhi. The announcements also included a last-minute candidate substitution in Bihar's Bankipur seat.

Datia, Madhya Pradesh: Tiwari Gets the Nod

The BJP has fielded Ashutosh Tiwari from the Datia Assembly constituency, a seat that has historically been among the more closely contested in Madhya Pradesh. The party's decision to field Tiwari is seen as an effort to consolidate its organisational base in the region ahead of the 30 July polling date.

The Datia seat fell vacant after the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti, whose legislative membership was terminated following a sentencing in a fraud case. Bharti had won the seat in the 2023 Assembly elections by a margin of 7,742 votes, defeating BJP veteran Narottam Mishra — a result that had been widely noted as one of the more significant upsets of that election cycle. The counting of votes for the bypoll is scheduled for 3 August 2026.

Notably, Mishra's defeat in 2023 at Datia had underscored the volatility of the seat despite the BJP's overall dominance in the state. The party now faces the task of reclaiming a constituency it lost under notable circumstances.

Bankipur, Bihar: Late Substitution Signals Recalibration

In Bihar, the BJP has reversed an earlier decision. The Central Election Committee's 7 July announcement had named Abhishek Kumar as the party's candidate for the Bankipur constituency in Patna. The revised press release, however, confirms that Neeraj Kumar Sinha will now contest from Bankipur in Kumar's place.

The substitution, coming within days of the initial announcement, points to a recalibration possibly driven by feedback from local party cadres or a reassessment of ground-level dynamics. Bankipur, located in the heart of Patna, is a politically significant urban seat, and the BJP's choice of candidate there carries implications for its standing in the state capital.

Electoral Context and What's at Stake

By-elections in India are often treated as mid-term indicators of a ruling party's popularity, and these two contests are no exception. In Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP holds power, a loss in Datia — a seat it previously held before Mishra's 2023 defeat — would be read as a setback. In Bihar, where the BJP is part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Bankipur result will be watched for signals ahead of the next state cycle.

This comes amid a broader pattern of by-elections being used by parties to test candidate profiles and local sentiment between major election cycles. The BJP's willingness to replace a declared candidate in Bihar suggests the party is taking both contests seriously.

What Happens Next

With candidates now confirmed, both constituencies are expected to see intensified campaigning in the run-up to polling day. Opposition parties are yet to formally announce all their candidates, and the full electoral picture will emerge in the coming days. The 30 July vote and 3 August count for Datia will be the immediate milestones to watch.