Patna, August 3:Jan Suraaj candidate Prashant Kishor continued to dominate the Bankipur Assembly by-election on Monday, maintaining a comfortable lead after 24 of the 31 counting rounds.

According to the latest trends, Kishor secured 48,343 votes, leading BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Singh by 13,868 votes. Sinha stood second with 34,566 votes, while RJD candidate Rekha Guptrailed in third with 11,197 votes.

Kishor has remained ahead in every round of counting so far, steadily widening his margin. His sustained lead sparked celebrations among Jan Suraaj supporters, who were seen dancing, playing music and smearing each other with gulal outside the counting centre.

In contrast, the atmosphere at the Bihar BJP headquarters in Patna remained subdued. Only a handful of party workers were present outside the office, with security personnel outnumbering supporters, as counting trends continued to favour the Jan Suraaj candidate.

The outcome has surprised many BJP workers, as Bankipur has long been considered a BJP stronghold. The bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of former BJP MLA Nitin Nabin.

The election is also politically significant as it is the first Assembly by-election in Bihar since Samrat Chaudhary assumed office as Chief Minister. The NDA had earlier suffered a setback in a Legislative Council by-election, making the Bankipur contest closely watched.

Polling for the by-election was held on July 30, and vote counting is being conducted in 31 rounds, with 24 rounds completedso far.

While the final result will be declared after all rounds are counted, the trends indicate a possible major upset for the BJP in a constituency it has traditionally dominated, while raising hopes of a significant electoral breakthrough for Prashant Kishor in his first Assembly election.