India, Aug. 5 -- The Congress's victory in the Datia Assembly by-election is being seen as much more than the loss of a single seat for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The result has exposed deep organisational fault lines within the BJP in one of its traditional strongholds while demonstrating that a well-planned, locally focused campaign can overcome the ruling party's organisational strength.

The BJP entered the by-election after denying a ticket to former Home Minister Narottam Mishra, the party's most influential leader in Datia for nearly two decades. The decision was intended to usher in a leadership transition by fielding RSS veteran Ashutosh Tiwari. However, instead of projecting unity, the move triggered resentment among Mish...