For many years, Narendra Modi contributed to the growth of Hindutva and its political arm the BJP with its epicentre in the Hindi belt. Today, with the Modi image seemingly losing its shine, the BJP could face the brunt. This was the first assembly by-poll in Bihar after veteran Nitish Kumar handed over the CM’s post to the BJP’s Samrat Choudhary. While Congress defeated the BJP in Datia, Madhya Pradesh (ruled by the BJP for many years), the saffron party managed to win the Manjalpur assembly seat in Vadodara, Gujarat. The Manjalpur victory reinforced Modi’s and the BJP’s continuing hold on the state, where the assembly polls are slated for December next year.