BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari files nomination for Datia bypolls

Datia (MP), Jul 13 (PTI) BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari on Monday filed his nomination papers for the July 30 Datia assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh in the presence of former minister Narottam Mishra, whom he edged out to enter the fray, and other senior party leaders. The bypoll was necessitated after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti lost his assembly membership following his conviction in a cheating case. Votes will be counted on August 3. Earlier on Sunday, the BJP's state unit sent senior party leaders to Datia to rally workers behind Tiwari after supporters of former home minister Narottam Mishra went on a rampage as the party denied him a ticket. Tiwari presented his nomination papers before the returning officer, in the presence of Mishra, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal, Madhya Pradesh BJP in-charge, Mahendra Singh, among others. In the 2023 assembly elections, Rajendra Bharti defeated Mishra by a margin of over 7,500 votes. In April this year, a Delhi court sentenced Bharti to three years' imprisonment in a cheating case, and following his conviction, the Congress leader was disqualified from the state legislative assembly, necessitating the bypoll. While votes will be cast on July 30 for the bypoll, the results will be declared on August 3, as per the schedule. Sources said the state BJP unit had forwarded Mishra's name as its sole recommendation for the Datia seat after Chief Minister Mohan Yadav met senior party leaders on July 6. However, feedback gathered by the central leadership in New Delhi suggested Mishra's electoral position was not as strong as initially assessed. Party insiders also claimed Mishra, a six-time MLA, could have emerged as another power centre in the state if he had won the bypoll and returned to the cabinet. PTI MAS ARU