Congress retains Datia seat, defeats BJP by over 6,000 votes

The Congress on Monday retained the Datia Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh, with its candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeating BJP nominee Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes in a bypoll that was overshadowed by infighting within the ruling party after former state home minister Narottam Mishra was denied a ticket.

The BJP's decision to replace six-time MLA Mishra with first-time candidate Tiwari had triggered a major backlash in Datia. Thousands of Mishra's supporters blocked National Highway-44, clashed with police, pelted stones, and forced police to use tear gas. Several BJP office-bearers also resigned in protest before Mishra appealed for calm and later campaigned for the party candidate.

After 15 rounds of counting, Singh secured 66,757 votes, while Tiwari polled 60,741. Azad Samaj Party candidate Damodar Yadav finished third with 22,527 votes, District Election Officer and Datia Collector Swapnil Wankhade said.

A total of 21 candidates contested the bypoll, which recorded a voter turnout of 71.44 per cent.

At one stage during counting, Singh had built a lead of 12,607 votes, though the BJP narrowed the margin in the final rounds.

The by-election was necessitated after sitting Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was sentenced to three years' imprisonment by a Delhi court in a cheating case in April, resulting in the termination of his Assembly membership.

Speaking after the victory, Singh described the verdict as "the beginning of the end" for the BJP.

"This verdict marks the beginning of the end of the BJP," he said.

Celebrations broke out at the Madhya Pradesh Congress headquarters in Bhopal, where party workers distributed sweets.

Mishra, who had lost the Datia seat to Bharti by over 7,700 votes in the 2023 Assembly elections, had been widely expected to contest the bypoll. The BJP's decision to overlook him for Tiwari sparked one of the biggest public displays of dissent within the party in the state in recent years.

Singh said his priorities would include promoting communal harmony in Datia, ending political vendetta and cracking down on gambling and betting rackets. He also expressed confidence that the Congress would form the next government in Madhya Pradesh in 2028 and said the party was working towards making Rahul Gandhi the next Prime Minister.

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari termed the victory a mandate against the BJP government and said Datia's voters had rejected the ruling party's "corruption, terror and arrogance", calling the result a significant political message ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.