04 August,2026 03:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sanjay Raut. File Pic
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that allegations surrounding the Ayodhya Ram Temple donations and police action against students protesting the alleged NEET paper leak contributed to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) defeat in the Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar.
The bypoll witnessed a major political upset after Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor defeated the BJP in the Bankipur constituency, considered a party stronghold since 1995.
The election was necessitated after BJP national president Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha and assumption of the party's national leadership role.
Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by a margin of 19,324 votes.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Raut alleged that public dissatisfaction over recent developments had influenced the outcome of the Bankipur by-election.
According to the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, police action against students protesting at Jantar Mantar over the alleged NEET paper leak, allegations related to the handling of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, and what he described as the BJP leadership's silence on these issues contributed to voter sentiment.
Raut also referred to a viral video showing a performer dressed as the Hindu deity Hanuman dancing and waving a BJP flag while welcoming party president Nitin Nabin in Lucknow. He claimed the incident had hurt the sentiments of many people.
The BJP has not publicly linked these issues to the bypoll outcome.
Raut said the Bankipur result had boosted the confidence of opposition parties and drew parallels with previous electoral upsets that, according to him, altered the political landscape.
He referred to the 1988 Allahabad by-election, held after actor Amitabh Bachchan resigned from Parliament, which was won by former Prime Minister V. P. Singh. Raut claimed that the victory marked the beginning of the Congress party's electoral decline at the national level.
He also cited the BJP's defeat in the 2018 Gorakhpur Lok Sabha by-election, where the Samajwadi Party won the seat vacated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after he assumed office as chief minister.
According to Raut, these by-election results demonstrated that politically significant constituencies can produce outcomes with wider implications.
Raut also criticised an upcoming interaction between Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and members of Generation Z at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai.
He questioned whether the participants would genuinely represent young people from across the country.
"Who else will go there? They (those participating) are not Gen Z," Raut said.
He added that young people who participated in protests at Jantar Mantar and faced police action should instead be invited to engage with the RSS chief.
The Bankipur by-election has drawn considerable political attention after ending the BJP's long hold over the constituency. While opposition leaders have described the result as politically significant, the BJP has said it will undertake an internal review of the bypoll outcome as it prepares for future electoral contests.
(With inputs from PTI)
