The by-elections on Bankipur and Datia assembly seats have become a headache for the BJP. In Bankipur, the candidate had to be changed and Neeraj Sinha had to be made the candidate in place of Abhishek Kumar Bunty and now he will face Prashant Kishore. Along with this announcement, BJP made another announcement. Former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra was ignored and Ashutosh Tiwari was declared the candidate for Datia by-election.
Although Narottam Mishra had been preparing his political ground in Datia for the last several months and it was believed that it was certain that he would become the candidate from Datia and he had also purchased the nomination form, but when the name was announced, Narottam Mishra’s name was missing. Six-time BJP MLA Narottam Mishra represented Datia three times after 2008, but lost to Congress’s Rajendra Bharti in the 2023 assembly elections.
Narottam Mishra Within hours of the announcement of ticket cancellation, the protest in Datia became violent. Many BJP party officials at district, mandal and booth level and supporters of Mishra resigned in protest. In Datia, supporters of Narottam Mishra and angry BJP workers had blocked the highway on Friday evening, which continued throughout the night.
The administration tried to negotiate to withdraw it, but, it turned violent as policemen clashed with protesters who raised slogans against BJP for denying ticket to Narottam Mishra. Eight policemen were injured in the clash, and several police vehicles and trucks were damaged in the violence.
Narottam Mishra broke his silence
On Saturday, Narottam Mishra broke his silence and appealed to his supporters to remain calm. He said, this is the decision of BJP. I would like to tell the party workers that I have seen workers pouring petrol and kerosene on social media. Don’t do such things. You can present your views in the right manner in front of the party forum.
Meanwhile, the statement of senior BJP leader and minister Kailash Vijayvargiya also came and he said that the party has taken the decision after careful consideration. Narottam Mishra is an old and loyal worker of the party. The matter will be resolved by talking to them. Along with this he gave a clear message that the central leadership will not take back its decision, but what was the reason that BJP did not express confidence in Narottam Mishra.
However, leaders close to Narottam Mishra claim that he had received a green signal from the state party leadership including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav that he would be the candidate, after which Narottam Mishra had even gone to buy nomination forms to contest the Datia by-election. However, many sources say that the feedback received from the party gave a warning as Narottam Mishra’s position in the constituency was weaker than initially estimated and there was anti-incumbency against him among voters and local leaders.
Was Narottam a victim of power game?
A BJP leader says that questions are being raised on the political ecosystem built around Narottam Mishra’s son Sukarna and his family. In the last election, several incidents of highhandedness by his son had caused resentment among the local people, and the party believed that this factor still remained.
At the same time, there are indications of tussle within the state BJP regarding this. Sources said that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has been heading the state for the last two years. He has had to face pressure from different party leaders. During the time of previous Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Narottam Mishra had become one of the most important political managers of the BJP in the state.
A senior BJP leader says, during the time of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Narottam Mishra was actually number 2 and even Chief Minister Chouhan was not able to get work done in the Home Department without the approval of Narottam Mishra and this made governance difficult. The BJP leader says that Narottam Mishra’s victory in Datia would probably have meant his return to the cabinet with an important portfolio, which would have made him a new power center at such a time. Kailash Vijayvargiya, Prahlad Patel, Narendra Singh Tomar, Chauhan himself and Jyotiraditya Scindia are already top leaders of the state BJP. In such a situation, the party does not want the return of Narottam Mishra.
What is BJP’s plan now?
His defeat in the 2023 elections had already undermined the image of invincibility built up for almost two decades, and some in the organization argued that the election needed to be fought on something other than his personal return to Datia. BJP insiders said that Ashutosh Tiwari has an RSS background, has worked as the divisional organization secretary of the BJP for many years and has no special identity in local factional politics. He has been fielded on this seat while maintaining the Brahmin factor and caste arithmetic.
However, for BJP, now a big challenge lies ahead from the Datia protest. Only a few leaders in Madhya Pradesh have an organizational network like Mishra in the Gwalior-Chambal region. In six assembly victories, he has built a structure that extends from district officials to mandal presidents and booth-level workers. Much of that network is loyal to him personally rather than to the official candidate. In such a situation, the party has started damage control and along with this, efforts to convince Narottam Mishra and party supporters have also intensified. The party is confident that it will be able to earn the trust of the workers again.
Read this also- Party’s decision: Kailash Vijayvargiya said on Sarvoparinrottam Mishra not getting ticket, said – decision taken after careful consideration
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