BHOPAL: A major rebellion has erupted within the BJP ranks in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia district, after the ruling party denied ticket to state’s ex-home and health minister and three-times former MLA Dr Narottam Mishra for the July 30 by-election to Datia seat.
Mishra, who won the seat in 2008, 2013 and 2018, lost the seat to Congress’s Rajendra Bharti by 7700-plus votes in the 2023 assembly polls.
He was the strongest contender for the BJP ticket to contest the July 30 by-poll, which was necessitated by the disqualification of sitting Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti following his conviction in a bank fraud case.
Importantly, the BJP declared former MP Housing Board chairman and party’s ex-Gwalior division organisation secretary, Ashutosh Tiwari as its candidate for the July 30 by-election.
The development happened on the day, when Delhi High Court dismissed a plea by Rajendra Bharti, seeking a stay on his conviction in a cheating/bank fraud case involving the forging of bank records to obtain illegal interest payments between 1998 and 2011.
Denial of ticket to Narottam Mishra, triggered major rebellion in Datia district BJP and massive protests in the entire Datia city, with men and women associated with the ruling party, particularly supporters of the former minister protesting on streets.
While protests were reported from streets, including long jam on Gwalior-Jhansi highway – one of the main roads connecting MP’s Gwalior region with UP’s Jhansi region, major markets too were shut down, as entire district BJP leadership, led by the district party chief Raghuvir Singh Kushwah announced resigning from party’s posts en masse.
In a letter issued to the party’s top leadership, the Datia district party president Raghuvir Singh Kushwah, while announcing about the en masse resignations by office bearers, booth level heads and municipal councillors from their protests, set 24 hours deadline for the party to declare Mishra as party’s candidate, failing which they would en masse quit the party.
Importantly, July 13 is the last date for filing nomination for the July 30 by-election.
The protests were not confined to Datia district only, but were also reported from the adjoining Dabra town of Gwalior district.
Importantly, before shifting to Datia in 2013, the 66-years-old powerful Brahmin politician had represented the Dabra seat thrice in 1990, 1998 and 2003.
While Mishra is often considered synonymous with the BJP organization in Datia district, the party’s candidate Ashutosh Tiwari was in contention for ticket in 2023 assembly polls from Sewda seat of Datia district.
Importantly, according to informed sources within the BJP, though Mishra was the strongest contender for the BJP ticket in the July 30 by-poll, multiple internal reports about party’s prospects in the month-end by-election to the constituency neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, had revealed that the ex-minister was on a sticky wicket owing to his over arrogant conduct of previous years, which had largely resulted in the 2023 polls shock defeat.