Narottam Mishra Supporters Stage Violent Protest After BJP Denies Poll Ticket, Highway Blocked
Supporters protest BJP ticket denial, block highway and pelt stones.
A major protest erupted in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denied a bypoll ticket to former state Home Minister Narottam Mishra and instead nominated Ashutosh Tiwari as its candidate. Hundreds of Mishra's supporters took to the streets on Friday and Saturday, blocking National Highway-44 for nearly 12 hours, pelting stones at security personnel and disrupting traffic, prompting a large police deployment to restore order.
The BJP on Friday announced Ashutosh Tiwari as its nominee for the upcoming Datia Assembly by-election, replacing Mishra, who had contested the seat in the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections but lost to Congress leader Rajendra Bharti by more than 7,500 votes. Mishra, a senior BJP leader and former minister, was reportedly expecting to be renominated and had already purchased a nomination form, according to party sources quoted by PTI. The decision to field Tiwari instead sparked anger among Mishra's supporters, who accused the party of overlooking a senior leader with a long political career.
According to officials, more than 3,000 protesters gathered in Datia and blocked NH-44, bringing traffic to a standstill for nearly half a day. During the protest, demonstrators allegedly pelted stones at police personnel attempting to clear the highway. Datia Superintendent of Police and several other officers sustained injuries in the clashes. Police later dispersed the protesters, reopened the highway and detained several people in connection with the violence. Authorities said the situation was brought under control after additional security forces were deployed to the area.
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The bypoll in Datia was necessitated after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified following his conviction in a cheating case. In April this year, a Delhi court sentenced Bharti to three years' imprisonment, triggering his disqualification under the Representation of the People Act and creating a vacancy in the Assembly. Although Bharti was subsequently granted bail, his conviction resulted in the announcement of a by-election for the constituency, setting the stage for a keen political contest between the BJP and the Congress.
Narottam Mishra, one of the BJP's most prominent leaders in Madhya Pradesh, served as the state's Home Minister before losing the Datia seat in the 2023 Assembly elections. His exclusion from the BJP's candidate list has generated considerable discontent among sections of the party's local cadre, many of whom believe he deserved another opportunity to contest. The unrest highlights internal dissatisfaction within the ruling party at the constituency level, even as the BJP seeks to retain the seat in the upcoming bypoll.
The protests underscore the political significance of the Datia by-election, which has drawn attention not only because of the vacancy created by Bharti's disqualification but also due to the BJP's internal dynamics over candidate selection. With campaigning expected to intensify in the coming weeks, both the BJP and the Congress are likely to focus on consolidating support in the constituency. Party leaders are expected to work towards calming tensions among local workers while ensuring the election campaign proceeds without further disruption.
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