Bihar BJP chief Nitin Nabin on Monday acknowledged the party's setback in the recent Assembly bypolls, including its unexpected loss in Bankipur, where Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor secured a landmark victory and brought an end to the BJP's 30-year dominance in the constituency.

Reacting to the results, Nabin said the outcomes in Bankipur and Madhya Pradesh's Datia, where the Congress emerged victorious, fell short of the party's expectations. He added that the BJP would undertake a detailed review of the defeats and work towards rebuilding public confidence.

In a post on X, Nabin thanked voters in Gujarat's Manjalpur constituency, where the BJP retained the seat, and congratulated party workers for their efforts.

"We respect the mandate delivered in the three Assembly by-elections. I sincerely thank the people of Manjalpur for once again placing their trust in the BJP," he wrote. Referring to the setbacks in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, he said the party would introspect with seriousness and continue to strengthen its connect with the people.

The comments came shortly after Prashant Kishor registered his first-ever electoral win. Contesting from Bankipur, Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by a margin of 19,324 votes. The Jan Suraaj chief secured 64,151 votes, while Kumar received 44,827. RJD candidate Rekha Kumari finished third with 14,273 votes.

The victory marks a major milestone for Kishor, whose party failed to open its account in the Bihar Assembly elections held in 2025. Kishor himself had stayed away from contesting those polls.

The bypoll result also ended the BJP's uninterrupted control over the constituency, which dates back to 1995. The election was necessitated after Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his move to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year.

Bankipur has long been associated with the Nabin family. Before Nitin Nabin, the constituency—then known as Patna West—was represented by his father, Navin Chandra Sinha. Together, the family held the seat for nearly three decades, making it one of the BJP's strongest bastions in Bihar.

The BJP's campaign faced an additional challenge when its original candidate, Abhishek "Bunty", withdrew from the race shortly before polling, citing personal reasons. The party later replaced him with Neeraj Kumar.

Throughout the campaign, Kishor projected the by-election as a referendum on the BJP-led government in Bihar. After his victory, he described the result as a warning sign for the party leadership and called for a change in the state's top leadership.

Polling in Bankipur witnessed a turnout of 34.3 per cent among approximately 3.8 lakh eligible voters, lower than the 41.45 per cent recorded during the Assembly elections held less than a year ago.