Narottam Mishra skips BJP meet held to discuss Datia assembly bypoll defeat

Senior Madhya Pradesh BJP leader and former home minister Narottam Mishra skipped a BJP review meeting on Tuesday convened to analyse the party’s defeat in the Datia assembly bypoll, triggering speculation over his role in the electoral setback and his standing within the party.The senior BJP leader and former home minister Narottam Mishra was denied a ticket by the party to contest in the assembly bypoll. (@drnarottammisra/X)The meeting, said people aware of the matter, was held at CM Mohan Yadav’s residence in Bhopal a day after Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeated BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes in the bypoll.Mishra’s absence drew attention as he was in Bhopal when the meeting took place. The BJP had made the Datia contest a prestige battle, deploying at least 12 ministers, including a deputy CM, six MPs and several senior leaders during the campaign.Also Read I Did Narottam Mishra's ticket snub cost BJP the Datia bypoll?A senior party leader, requesting anonymity, said, “The decision to not call Mishra, once considered the BJP’s strongman in Datia, suggests his role is also under question, especially given the reactions of his supporters when he was denied a ticket.”Mishra declined to comment when contacted by HT.Khandelwal avoided directly addressing Mishra’s absence but announced the formation of a two-member committee to examine the reasons of defeat.