Bhopal, July 10 -- The BJP faced a major internal revolt in Madhya Pradesh on Friday after senior leader and former state Home minister Narottam Mishra was denied the party ticket for the Datia Assembly by-election.
The party instead nominated Ashutosh Tiwari, triggering widespread protests and resignations by district BJP leaders.
Thousands of BJP workers took to the roads in Datia, blocked a national highway and staged demonstrations, demanding that the party withdraw Tiwari's candidature and field Mishra instead.
Protesters raised slogans against the party's decision, bringing traffic to a standstill for some time.
Escalating the rebellion, BJP's Datia district president Raghuveer Singh Kushwaha resigned from his post in protest against the ticket allocation. Several district office-bearers also tendered their resignations, while BJP councillors, block presidents and other local leaders warned that they would step down if the party failed to replace Tiwari with Mishra as its candidate.
Party workers maintained that Mishra, a prominent BJP face in the Gwalior-Chambal region and a former minister, remained the most acceptable candidate for the constituency. They urged the central leadership to reconsider its decision before the election campaign gathers momentum.
As this report was filed, protests were continuing in Datia, with agitating BJP workers insisting that the party revise its choice of candidate.
The developments have exposed rare public dissent within the BJP in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the crucial by-election.
The Datia by-poll was necessitated after the Madhya Pradesh Assembly disqualified Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti following his conviction by a Delhi court in a bank fraud case. Bharti was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, resulting in the vacancy.
The by-poll is scheduled for July 30, with July 13 being the last date for filing nominations. Bharti had defeated Narottam Mishra in the 2023 Assembly election from Datia.
In the run-up to the by-poll, Mishra had actively campaigned in the constituency, purchased nomination papers and held several public meetings, including appeals to voters to forgive him for past controversies.
Given his sustained outreach and his long association with the constituency, he was widely expected to be renominated by the BJP to reclaim the seat he had represented for multiple terms.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.