BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari and Congress nominee Ghanshyam Singh filed their nomination papers on Monday for the Datia Assembly by-election, with both parties holding separate roadshows and showcasing their political strength ahead of the July 30 poll.
Tiwari filed his nomination in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal, former Home Minister Narottam Mishra and several senior BJP leaders, signalling the ruling party's attempt to project unity after recent discontent over the denial of a ticket to Mishra.
Addressing party workers after filing his nomination, Tiwari sought the support of BJP workers and voters while acknowledging Mishra's role in his political journey. "I have learnt a lot in politics from Narottam Mishra ji. He is like my elder brother. I seek the blessings and support of every BJP worker and the people of Datia.
Together, we will ensure the BJP's victory," Tiwari said. Meanwhile, Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh filed his nomination in the presence of former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, state Congress president Jitu Patwari, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, former MLA Rajendra Bharti and Samajwadi Party's Madhya Pradesh president Manoj Yadav.
After filing his nomination, Singh expressed confidence of victory, claiming that resentment among BJP workers following Mishra's exclusion from the contest would benefit the Congress. Meanwhile, the BJP released its proposed list of star campaigners for the bypoll, with Mishra included alongside Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, former Chief Minister and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister Virendra Kumar Khatik, former BJP state president Vishnu Dutt Sharma, Deputy Chief Ministers Jagdish Devda and Rajendra Shukla, and senior ministers Prahlad Patel, Kailash Vijayvargiya and Rakesh Singh.
The inclusion of Mishra in the campaign team is significant, as his exclusion from the contest had triggered protests by a section of BJP workers and local office-bearers in Datia. The Datia by-election was necessitated after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified under the Representation of the People Act.
July 13 was the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on July 14, candidates can withdraw their nominations until July 16, polling is scheduled for July 30, and the counting of votes will take place on August 3.