Violence erupted in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia district on 11 July, as supporters of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narottam Mishra clashed with police and blocked a national highway after the former minister was denied a ticket for the July 30 assembly byelection, news agency PTI reported.
The nearly 12-hour blockade on NH-44 by over 3,000 protesters left the Datia superintendent of police and several cops injured before security forces cleared the highway and arrested some agitators, officials said.
The Datia district administration has invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Any gathering, procession, sit-in, protest, or public event without prior permission is prohibited under this order.
The protests erupted after the ruling BJP on Friday announced the candidature of Ashutosh Tiwari for the Datia assembly bypoll, angering Mishra’s supporters.
National highway blocked for 11-12 hours
Enraged workers staged a blockade on the national highway for close to 11-12 hours, and despite asking them to clear the road, they pelted stones on the police, forcing the cops to fire teargas shells to disperse the mob, Datia collector Swapnil Wankhede told reporters.
The Datia SP, other senior officers and jawans suffered injuries, he said, clarifying that cops did not cane-charge the protesters.
Wankhede said that the angry mob damaged police and other vehicles, but the road was subsequently cleared, and the situation is under control.
SP Mayur Khandelwal told news agency PTI that more than 3,000 protesters disrupted the peace in Datia town, tried to close the market, and staged a 12-hour road blockade. More than six policemen suffered injuries in the stone-pelting, he said.
“We tried to pacify them, citing the enforcement of the model code of conduct in the town. However, after they refused to back down and pelted stones, cops fired teargas shells to control the situation,” the senior officer said.
Some of the protesters were also arrested and warned of strict action if they resorted to violence, the SP said.
Sources said that following Friday’s political development, some of the party office-bearers, including the district unit president and local corporators, resigned from the party in protest.
Tiwari’s nomnation a setback
Ashutosh Tiwari’s nomination came as a setback for former minister Mishra, who, according to party sources, expected the ticket and had even purchased a nomination form. Tiwari, a resident of Sevda town in Datia, has been active in the state BJP organisation, they said.
An elated Tiwari told reporters outside the state BJP office that he met senior party leaders and expressed his gratitude. “Mishra is a very senior leader, my guardian, and he said he will campaign for the party and me,” Tiwari said.
One of Mishra’s supporters, Balram, told PTI that some of them took off their shirts and lay down on the road while others staged a sit-in. Another supporter said they would not relent until “Narottam Dada” got the ticket and would even quit the saffron party.
Who is Narottam Mishra and why a bypoll?
Narottam Mishra is a prominent BJP leader who served as the Minister for Home Affairs, Law and Legislative Affairs, Prisons, and Parliamentary Affairs in the Government of Madhya Pradesh under former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
In the November 2023 state assembly elections, while serving as the sitting State Home Minister, Mishra suffered a high-profile defeat to Congress candidate Rajendra Bharti in Datia by a margin of over 7,500 votes
The Datia seat became vacant after Rajendra Bharti was disqualified following a bank fraud conviction. In a surprising political move, however, the BJP central leadership denied Mishra the ticket for the July 2026 by-election, opting to field senior organisational leader Ashutosh Tiwari instead.
The decision to deny him the ticket sparked massive protests by his supporters across Datia, who blocked National Highway 44 (NH-44) and caused widespread traffic blockades
The Election Commission recently announced the schedule for bypolls to three assembly constituencies in the country, including Datia. The other two seats are in Bihar and Gujarat.
While votes will be cast on July 30, the results will be announced on August 3, as per the schedule.
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