Why BJP denied MP heavyweight Narottam Mishra bypoll ticket, and what happens next
From talk of a generational change in Madhya Pradesh BJP to CM Mohan Yadav's perceived discomfiture, various theories are doing the rounds
The announcement was met with dissent from Mishra’s supporters in Datia; they blocked the Jhansi-Datia highway for hours on June 10. The BJP’s chief for Datia district and several party office-bearers also resigned in protest.
On June 11, Mishra was called to Bhopal for a meeting with chief minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal and Ajay Jamwal. After the meeting, Mishra appealed to his supporters not to create law and order problems.
The next day, Mishra went to Delhi. He refuted talk of having met BJP president Nitin Nabin or home minister Amit Shah, who he is perceived to be close to. On July 13, he reached Datia to participate in the nomination rally of Tiwari. In his speech, an emotive Mishra said the party had given him a lot and he would never go against it.
The Datia by-election was announced as incumbent Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was convicted in a criminal case and his membership of the legislative assembly annulled. Bharti had defeated Mishra in the 2023 assembly elections by around 7,500 votes.
Mishra has been contesting from the Datia assembly segment since 2008. He won the seat thrice: in 2008, 2013 and 2018. Mishra had shifted to Datia after the neighbouring Dabra seat was designated as reserved for Scheduled Castes in the 2008 delimitation exercise. Mishra became MLA from Dabra in 1990, 1998 and 2003.
Bharti has been MLA from Datia three times in all. He lost to Mishra in 2013 and 2018 but defeated him in 2023. Mishra, however, kept in touch with the people of the constituency. Opportunity presented itself when Bharti’s assembly membership was cancelled, forcing the by-election. A confident Mishra and his supporters had been taking his bypoll candidature by the BJP a foregone conclusion, which is why Tiwari’s candidature came as a surprise.
Tiwari was previously chairman of the MP Housing Board and has good connections in the RSS. Sources claimed he had been meeting chief minister Yadav and Khandelwal regularly.
BJP sources said the decision to deny Mishra the ticket was taken by the party’s national leadership as it intends to effect a generational change in the party in Madhya Pradesh. The other theory doing the rounds is that Yadav does not prefer another senior BJP leader becoming an MLA. It is an open secret that it has not been smooth sailing between the chief minister and senior cabinet colleagues such as Kailash Vijayvargiya, Prahlad Patel and Kunwar Vijay Shah. By denying Mishra a ticket, Yadav has also put off potential pressure of having to induct him in the cabinet.
Meanwhile, the Congress announced former MLA and ex-royal Ghanshyam Singh as its bypoll candidate. Singh filed his nomination on July 13. Bharti had declared his family doesn’t want to contest the election.
The bypoll has turned even more interesting with the entry of Damodar Yadav, a candidate of the Azad Samaj Party led by Chandrashekhar Azad. Yadav is hoping to secure a Dalit-OBC alliance to score a win.
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The announcement was met with dissent from Mishra’s supporters in Datia; they blocked the Jhansi-Datia highway for hours on June 10. The BJP’s chief for Datia district and several party office-bearers also resigned in protest.
On June 11, Mishra was called to Bhopal for a meeting with chief minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal and Ajay Jamwal. After the meeting, Mishra appealed to his supporters not to create law and order problems.
The next day, Mishra went to Delhi. He refuted talk of having met BJP president Nitin Nabin or home minister Amit Shah, who he is perceived to be close to. On July 13, he reached Datia to participate in the nomination rally of Tiwari. In his speech, an emotive Mishra said the party had given him a lot and he would never go against it.
The Datia by-election was announced as incumbent Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was convicted in a criminal case and his membership of the legislative assembly annulled. Bharti had defeated Mishra in the 2023 assembly elections by around 7,500 votes.
Mishra has been contesting from the Datia assembly segment since 2008. He won the seat thrice: in 2008, 2013 and 2018. Mishra had shifted to Datia after the neighbouring Dabra seat was designated as reserved for Scheduled Castes in the 2008 delimitation exercise. Mishra became MLA from Dabra in 1990, 1998 and 2003.
Bharti has been MLA from Datia three times in all. He lost to Mishra in 2013 and 2018 but defeated him in 2023. Mishra, however, kept in touch with the people of the constituency. Opportunity presented itself when Bharti’s assembly membership was cancelled, forcing the by-election. A confident Mishra and his supporters had been taking his bypoll candidature by the BJP a foregone conclusion, which is why Tiwari’s candidature came as a surprise.
Tiwari was previously chairman of the MP Housing Board and has good connections in the RSS. Sources claimed he had been meeting chief minister Yadav and Khandelwal regularly.
BJP sources said the decision to deny Mishra the ticket was taken by the party’s national leadership as it intends to effect a generational change in the party in Madhya Pradesh. The other theory doing the rounds is that Yadav does not prefer another senior BJP leader becoming an MLA. It is an open secret that it has not been smooth sailing between the chief minister and senior cabinet colleagues such as Kailash Vijayvargiya, Prahlad Patel and Kunwar Vijay Shah. By denying Mishra a ticket, Yadav has also put off potential pressure of having to induct him in the cabinet.
Meanwhile, the Congress announced former MLA and ex-royal Ghanshyam Singh as its bypoll candidate. Singh filed his nomination on July 13. Bharti had declared his family doesn’t want to contest the election.
The bypoll has turned even more interesting with the entry of Damodar Yadav, a candidate of the Azad Samaj Party led by Chandrashekhar Azad. Yadav is hoping to secure a Dalit-OBC alliance to score a win.
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