BHOPAL: Former Madhya Pradesh minister Narottam Mishra on Saturday accepted the BJP's decision to deny him a ticket for the July 30 Datia Assembly bypoll and appealed to his supporters to respect the party's choice, a day after violent protests by his loyalists rocked the district.
Mishra, a six-time BJP MLA and three-time legislator from Datia, arrived in Bhopal on Saturday evening amid reports that the party's top leadership was concerned over the rebellion triggered by the selection of first-time candidate Ashutosh Tiwari.
Though visibly dejected, the 66-year-old told reporters that the BJP's decision would be respected.
"The party is much bigger than me. I fully respect its decision to field Ashutosh Tiwari. I will soon join the campaign for the party candidate," Mishra said.
Condemning the violence and resignations by local BJP leaders in Datia, he said protests should be confined to the party forum.
"Violence cannot be justified. The party's decision has to be respected by one and all. All those who were pouring petrol or blocking roads are part of the family and will be managed in due course. Instead of resorting to such acts, grievances should be raised within the party," he said.
According to BJP sources, Mishra rushed to Bhopal after the party leadership expressed concern over the violent protests and rebellion by his supporters. He is expected to meet senior state BJP leaders.
Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports suggested that Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia could be given a prominent role in managing the bypoll campaign, particularly amid speculation that the Congress may field former MLA Ghanshyam Singh, a member of the erstwhile Datia royal family.
In a political twist, the Shiv Sena (UBT) offered Mishra a ticket to contest the bypoll on its "flaming torch" symbol.
Shiv Sena (UBT) state IT cell head Nahar Singh said the party's national leadership, including Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Anil Desai and Sanjay Raut, was prepared to back Mishra if he chose to contest as its candidate.
Back in Datia, police registered cases against at least 17 named persons and more than 200 others in connection with the violence that erupted on Friday evening and continued till Saturday morning.
Those named in the FIR include several local BJP leaders and workers considered close to Mishra.
The protests erupted after the BJP denied Mishra a ticket, with demonstrators blocking National Highway-44, the Gwalior-Jhansi highway, for more than 11 hours.
Datia District Collector Swapnil Wankhade said the blockade, which lasted from around 5.30 pm on Friday to 5 am on Saturday, caused a traffic jam stretching nearly 20 km.
He said protesters allegedly pelted stones at police after refusing to clear the highway despite repeated warnings. Police later dispersed the crowd using tear gas shells.
According to the district administration, eight police personnel sustained serious injuries in the stone-pelting, while the Superintendent of Police, Additional Superintendent of Police and a Deputy Superintendent of Police suffered minor injuries.
Senior BJP leaders sought to downplay the rebellion, expressing confidence that the crisis would soon be resolved.
Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda is expected to visit Datia to meet disgruntled party leaders and workers, while senior minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said those who had resigned from party posts would soon withdraw their resignations.
"Our official candidate Ashutosh Tiwari will win the July 30 by-election with a big margin," Vijayvargiya said.