Accept party’s bypoll choice, says Narottam Mishra after Delhi visit

Published 12 July 2026 · local

Days after he was denied a bypoll ticket that led to violence in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia, the State’s former Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who went

Days after he was denied a bypoll ticket that led to violence in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia, the State’s former Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who went to Delhi on Sunday (July 12, 2026), denied meeting any leader from the party’s high command saying that he “wasn’t called” to the national capital and “went (there) just like that”. Sources said Mr. Mishra met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin. He was “instructed to back down and calm his supporters in Datia and work for the party’s official candidate”, a source said. The visit took place on a day senior party leaders held meetings in Datia to review preparedness for the July 30 Assembly byelection. Late on Saturday (July 11), Mr. Mishra had met Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, State BJP chief Hemant Khandelwal and the party’s zonal general secretary (organisation) Ajay Jamwal in Bhopal. The meetings came amid murmurs of him resenting the party denying him the bypoll ticket and fielding debutant Ashutosh Tiwari instead.

The move had triggered massive protests in Datia where Mr. Mishra’s supporters turned violent. The police lodged FIRs against more than 20 BJP workers after at least eight police personnel, including the SP and Additional SP, were injured. Speaking in New Delhi, Mr. Mishra termed the protests a result of “sudden anger”. “Today, all the main people [BJP leaders] are in Datia and they [the workers] have put forth their views. Everything has calmed down now,” he said. Once considered among the most influential BJP leaders in the State, Mr. Mishra said it has now been established that he does not have a “tall stature”. “Accepting the party’s decision with utmost respect and working for the organisation is our sole objective. I will work as a dedicated party worker,” he said, adding that he has not sought or been given any assurances for his political future by the party leadership. On rumours that he had been denied the ticket on the insistence of some senior Madhya Pradesh BJP leaders, Mr. Mishra said, “No, I don’t blame the organisation, nor do I blame the Chief Minister.

I do not point fingers at anyone. I believe that there must have been some shortcoming on my part. I will introspect and improve myself.” Various BJP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda and the State’s party in-charge Mahendra Singh, visited Datia and held meetings with Mr. Tiwari, local party leaders and officer bearers, many of whom had resigned in protest following the declaration of the candidate. Mr. Khandelwal, however, had said on Saturday night that no resignation will be accepted. The meetings are being seen as an attempt by the BJP leadership to calm the party workers before launching the bypoll campaign. “Any upcoming meeting will focus on election preparations, and the BJP will win the election. All our party workers and senior leaders are fully engaged in these preparations. Everybody will come here to work,” Mr. Devda said. Tiwari will face Congress’s Ghanshyam Singh, who hails from the erstwhile royal family of Datia and is a former MLA from neighbouring Sewda seat.