No resentment over ticket denial for Datia bypoll: Narottam Mishra

Senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra dismissed speculation of discontent after being denied the party ticket for the Datia Assembly bypoll. He said he has 'no resentment' and will abide by the party's decision and support the new candidate.

Mishra Pledges Support to Party

Senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra on Saturday dismissed speculation over discontent after being denied the party ticket for the upcoming Datia Assembly bypoll, saying he has "no resentment" with anyone and will abide by the party's decision.

Mishra said he would work to convince party workers, attend the nomination of the BJP candidate from Datia, and follow whatever responsibility the party assigns him. Speaking to the reporters here, Mishra said, "We will convince the workers. These are our workers, our own people. Everyone will agree. I have no resentment with anyone. Who's saying to change it (party)? I didn't say anything. I'll do whatever the party says. I have no resentment with anyone. I will attend his (Dantia candidate) nomination. I will discuss it with everyone. I am not angry with anyone."

Mishra said that he would fully support the BJP's candidate and campaign if asked by the party. He said he would convince party workers to support the BJP candidate and urged them not to indulge in incidents such as stone pelting and protest. "Whatever will happen, will be good. Everyone expects a ticket. There is no problem. I am not at all sad. The party has given a lot. There was no vandalism. But we will convince them, they will agree. They are our own workers," Mishra told ANI. "If the party wants me, I will certainly be involved in the election campaign (of Ashutosh Tiwari). We will also discuss the ongoing issues. I urge all party workers not to engage in such actions (stone pelting)," he added.

Supporters' Protests Turn Violent

This comes after protests by his supporters turned violent in Datia, leaving eight police personnel injured and disrupting traffic across four districts after demonstrators blocked National Highway-44 for nearly 11 hours. Datia District Magistrate Swapnil Wankhede said the blockade began on Friday evening and continued till around 5 am on Saturday, causing a traffic jam stretching 20-25 kilometres and affecting Datia, Jhansi, Shivpuri and Gwalior districts. "The traffic jam persisted until 5 AM, lasting roughly eleven hours. Many buses and ambulances were stuck in the gridlock," Wankhede told ANI.

The District Magistrate said the administration spent the entire night trying to persuade protesters to withdraw the blockade peacefully. However, when negotiations failed, protesters allegedly resorted to stone-pelting, prompting police to use tear gas. According to Wankhede, protesters later entered an office building and continued pelting stones at police personnel from inside.

Background to Datia Bypoll

This happened after BJP announced Ashutosh Tiwari as its candidate for the Datia Assembly by-election, replacing Mishra, who had lost the seat in the 2023 Assembly elections. The Election Commission of India has announced that polling for the Datia Assembly bypoll will be held on July 30, while counting of votes will take place on August 3. The Datia Assembly seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified following his conviction in a fraud case.

Congress Confident of Victory

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari expressed confidence that the Congress would win the upcoming Assembly bypoll, alleging that the BJP had "murdered democracy" by using the court to unseat Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti. "The BJP is going to lose the election there, and the Congress is going to win. The BJP used the court as a medium to murder democracy. The people of Datia will avenge the conspiracy to remove our MLA Rajan Bharti... The Collector and SP, who cannot handle law and order, should be replaced," Patwari told ANI. (ANI)

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