Bhopal: Supporters of former Madhya Pradesh Home minister Narottam Mishra in Datia, mainly BJP workers, see a conspiracy of the BJP leadership in Madhya Pradesh in denial of party ticket to Mishra for the by-election Datia assembly constituency is going to witness.
Nomination papers for the by-election as announced by Election Commission of India (ECI) on July 6 will be filed by July 13 and polling will be held on July 30. Counting of votes will take place on August 3, as per notification issued by ECI.
The former Home minister who became active again while meeting with different sections of people in the constituency for more than three months feeling confident that he would get the party ticket for the by-election suffered a massive jolt of his political career on Friday (July 10, 2026) when the BJP announced candidature of Ashutosh Tiwari for the by-election.
Completely oblivious of what was going on in the party, on Friday too Mishra met various gatherings of people and addressed them assuring them that he would continue to serve them and the constituency.
Mishra had lost to Congress’ Rajendra Bharti in 2023 assembly elections. Earlier, he registered victory from the constituency in three consecutive elections on the BJP ticket.
Mishra and his camp were jubilant when Rajendra Bharti was convicted by a special court in Delhi in an old fraud case on April 2 and the state assembly secretariat lost no time in disqualifying Bharti from thenassembly on the basis of the judgment.
Bharti moved high court, Delhi in April challenging the special court’s judgment but he failed to get any relief immediately. On Friday, the high court dismissed Bharti’s petition, thus, paving the way for the by-election schedule of which was already announced by ECI on July 6.
भोपाल स्थित निवास पर आज भाजपा क्षेत्रीय संगठन महामंत्री श्री @ajayjamwalbjp जी के साथ मध्य प्रदेश की दतिया विधानसभा क्षेत्र उप-चुनाव हेतु भाजपा केंद्रीय चुनाव समिति द्वारा प्रत्याशी बनाए जाने पर श्री @Ashutosh4BJP जी को बधाई तथा विजयश्री हेतु अग्रिम शुभकामनाएं दीं।
इस दौरान… pic.twitter.com/VrZlHT4v6z
— Hemant Khandelwal (@Hkhandelwal1964) July 10, 2026
After the BJP announced Ashutosh Tiwari’s name as the party candidate for Datia by-election hundreds of Mishra’s supporters, mainly BJP and its front organisations’ workers, took to streets and blocked the traffic on the national highway near the district BJP office.
The road blockade led to a massive traffic jam on the national highway from on a stretch of several kilometres while the protesters were still staging the sit-in on the highway till late night.
Shopkeepers in Datia markets downed their shutters as protesters started taking to streets to raise their voice against the BJP leadership’s decision.
The protesters including a number of woman workers raised slogans like Narottam Mishra zindabad, Mohan Yadav murdabad and Hemant Khandelwal murdabad.
The protesters anger against chief minister Dr Mohan Yadav and the state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal arise from their assumption that these two leaders are behind denial of ticket to Narottam Mishra.
A letterhead of BJP district president Raghuvir Singh Kushwah surfaced on social media addressed to party’s national president Nitin Nabin and state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal which stated that Kushwah along with other party office-bearers, zila panchayat president, janpad and nagar palika Datia presidents and several mandal presidents, frontal organisations presidents and all corporators tendered their resignation from the party as the party took its decision on the candidature for the by-election neglecting the party workers.
The letterhead had signatures of Kushwah and several others too on it.
Talking to local media one of the protesters said, “If Dada (Narottam Mishra) is not given the party ticket we will join the Congress and vote for the party (Congress).”
BJYM district vice-president Sangharsh Yadav said, “Party leadership will have to listen to us and change its decision on the candidature. It’s not only party workers’ voice but public’s too that Narottam Dada is fielded as the party candidate.”
Another vice-president of BJYM Prashant Dangi said, “We request the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in this matter and ask the party leadership to change its decision on the candidature for Datia.”
He said, “Modi ji often says the BJP is of workers party. Hence, the party workers in Datia want that our leader Narottam Mishra is given party ticket for the by-election. We are confident that our voice will go to the PM.”
CONSPIRACY THEORY
The moment Narottam Mishra was denied ticket a conspiracy theory started doing the rounds among Mishra’s supporters.
On the condition of anonymity a party worker said, “Chief minister Dr Mohan Yadav continues to hold the portfolio of home minister as well. If Narottam Dada is elected the chief minister will have to induct him in his cabinet given Dada’s stature and he (CM) will have to make him (Narottam Mishra) Home minister again. That’s why he didn’t want Narottam Dada to get the party ticket and win the election.”
He said it’s unfortunate that the party’s state president Hemant Khandelwal too supported chief minister Dr Mohan Yadav as the decision suited him as well.
He said given Narottam Mishra’s stature not only the CM but the state president too will feel uncomfortable as Mishra would not allow them to dominate him.
