How united Congress clinched Datia bypoll; BJP left to nurse self-injuries

CM Mohan Yadav had a lot riding on the by-election in which the BJP may have paid the price for denying heavyweight Narottam Mishra the ticketA coordinated campaign has helped the Madhya Pradesh Congress retain the Datia seat in the assembly by-election—a keenly-fought contest in which the BJP’s defeat is being partly attributed to candidate-selection missteps.The Congress’s Ghanshyam Singh, a member of the former royal family of Datia, defeated Ashutosh Tiwari of the BJP by over 6,000 votes. The election had gained traction from the start after the BJP denied the ticket to former state home minister Narottam Mishra, who held the constituency for three consecutive terms beginning 2008 but had lost to the Congress’s Rajendra Bharti in the 2023 polls. The bypoll was necessitated by Bharti’s conviction in a criminal case.The verdict has key lessons to offer to the ruling BJP. Political watchers saw in the denial of ticket to Mishra an alleged manoeuvre from the top. Chief minister Mohan Yadav and BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal were apparently not in favour of Mishra’s candidature. Mishra’s potential victory would have meant another senior BJP leader entering the legislative assembly and, in due course, probably claiming a place in the state cabinet. The BJP, instead, placed its bet on Tiwari, a Brahmin leader like Mishra.The denial of ticket saw Mishra even get emotional during a campaign rally, in the very presence of the chief minister. Previously, the BJP’s district president for Datia had resigned in protest while Mishra’s supporters blockaded the Gwalior-Datia highway. The police used cane-charge and teargas to disperse the protesters, which prompted Mishra to allegedly threaten Datia superintendent of police Mayur Khandelwal at a rally that he always “remembers my friends and enemies”. While the state BJP had anticipated sabotage, Mishra campaigned for the BJP candidate even though his son stayed away. However, political analysts suggest the BJP lost votes by not giving the ticket to Mishra because there were clear signs of lack of participation.Tiwari accepted defeat with humility, saying the reasons would be “analysed and remedial action” taken. The message for his party is clear: if the BJP indeed lost votes due to denial of the ticket to Mishra, a pushback from the old guard cannot be ruled out. While the BJP is a cadre-based party, this election shows that the leadership cult has affected the party’s prospects and that votes are not always transferable with change of candidates. Secondly, in this bypoll, experienced leaders such as Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia were not part of the election planning.Chief minister Yadav had a lot riding on the by-election, and it has not gone his way. Datia locals pointed out that the administrative support that can tacitly work in favour of a ruling party candidate was not to be seen. Then, Azad Samaj Party candidate Damodar Yadav, who was counting on OBC and SC support, got 22,000-odd votes but that wasn’t enough to pose a threat to the victorious Congress.In the early stage of the campaign, the BJP had announced Scindia as in-charge of the bypoll, but that role was later given to Gwalior MP Bharat Singh Kushwaha, pointing to lack of coordination. The BJP even roped in Rahul Singh, another member of the erstwhile Datia royal family, to make statements against Ghanshyam Singh, but it didn’t work.The Congress, on the other hand, had things in its favour the moment it declared Ghanshyam Singh as the candidate. Singh, originally considered close to the late Madhavrao Scindia in the party, had represented Datia in 1993 and 2003. He left the seat after 2008 when Mishra came into the picture.Singh and his family have local standing. His daughter Mandvi, a member of the Congress, took to campaigning early. Towards the end of the campaign, there was speculation about a perceived help to the BJP from Bharti’s team. The Congress leadership suspended Bharti, showing a decisiveness not seen earlier. A big contingent of Congress MLAs had been drafted for poll duty and allocated areas to deliver on.Congress leader Awdhesh Nayak had been miffed about being denied a ticket again, like in the 2023 polls. Party veteran Digvijaya Singh apologised publicly to Nayak and got him to return to campaigning. In the final analysis, the Congress presented a united and coordinated effort that weighed over the BJP’s. Now, the BJP has 164 seats in the 230-member legislative assembly while the Congress tally has gone up to 65.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsPublished By: Akshita JollyPublished On: Aug 3, 2026 20:00 IST