Datia (MP) – Tears and emotional appeals marked the final day of filing nominations for the Datia assembly bypoll on Monday as the BJP tried to put up a united front, days after the party’s move to pick Ashutosh Tiwari as its nominee over seasoned leader Narottam Mishra caused resentment. Tiwari filed his nomination papers at the collector’s office in the presence of Mishra, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal, and state in-charge Mahendra Singh. Separately, Ghanshyam Singh, who belongs to the Datiya royal family, also filed his nomination as a Congress candidate. Rattled by the recent rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections, the Congress has fielded a “dummy” candidate in the by-election to ensure that its bid doesn’t fizzle out. The bypoll, scheduled for July 30, was necessitated after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti lost his assembly membership following his conviction in a cheating case. Votes will be counted on August 3. On the occasion, both parties displayed their political strength by organising public meetings and appealing to the people to ensure a landslide victory for their respective candidates. At a public meeting held at Kila Chowk after filing nomination, BJP candidate Tiwari described Mishra as his elder brother and guardian. Mishra turned emotional and wiped tears as he expressed his gratitude, saying he prostrates at every household in Datia to ensure Tiwari’s victory. CM Yadav, Mahendra Singh, Deputy CM Jagdish Devda, and Khandelwal were seen consoling Mishra on the stage. Addressing the public meeting, the Chief Minister said the Datia by-election is a fight between a “raja (king) and a runk (pauper)”, claiming that the Congress remains cut off from the ground. “The BJP is a party of workers, not of kings and maharajas,” he said in a dig at Congress candidate Singh. Yadav called Mishra closer to him on the stage and said that this by-election is being fought under his leadership. “Ashutosh is my younger brother. I entrust him to you,” he told Mishra. Mishra was a strong contender for the ticket in this by-election, but the party picked Tiwari. In the 2023 assembly elections, Congress’ Rajendra Bharti defeated Mishra by a margin of over 7,500 votes. Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh filed his nomination, accompanied by opposition leader Umang Singhar, Bhander MLA Phool Singh Baraiya, and Datia district Congress president Ashok Dangi. Senior Congress leaders, including state in-charge Harish Chaudhary, president Jitu Patwari, Singhar, Digvijay Singh, Ajay Singh, and former Datia MLA Rajendra Bharti, attended a public meeting held near the local Bhairav temple. Congress leaders appealed to the people to teach the BJP a lesson for undermining democracy, imposing a by-election, and disrespecting public opinion. They urged voters to trust Congress and ensure the victory of the party’s candidate. Madhya Pradesh Samajwadi Party chief Manoj Yadav, who was also present with party workers when Singh filed his nomination, described him as the candidate of the “INDIA” alliance. Singhar said the nomination of the dummy candidate has been accepted. Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) candidate Damodar Singh Yadav has already filed his nomination papers. To ensure a peaceful nomination process, the district administration had made elaborate security arrangements at the Collectorate premises, and in accordance with Election Commission directives, only the candidate and authorised personnel were allowed inside. Post navigation “Congress Has Only One Face In Punjab, And That Is Rahul Gandhi”: Bhupesh Baghel
