New Delhi, Aug. 4 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 3 August faced defeats in assembly bypolls in Bankipur of Bihar and Datia in Madhya Pradesh. The saffron party is in power in both the states.

The BJP's sole consolation came from Gujarat, where it retained the Manjalpur seat in Vadodara, albeit with a drastically reduced victory margin compared to the 2022 elections.

The defeats come close on the heels of intense youth-led protests over exam paper leaks that led to resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last month. The loss signals a shifting political wind across the Hindi heartland, exposing vulnerable fault lines in the BJP's traditional strongholds, according to experts.

The victory of Kishor, whose fledg...