BJP leader Narottam Mishra said he is not at all upset over the party denying him a ticket for the Datia assembly bypoll, adding that the BJP has given him a lot.
Violence erupted in Datia district, with Mishra’s supporters clashing with police and blocking a national highway after the BJP on Friday announced Ashutosh Tiwari as its candidate for the July 30 bypoll. However, Mishra denied there was any vandalism and said he would speak to the supporters to convince them
“Whatever will happen, will be good. Everyone expects a ticket. There is no problem. I am not at all sad. The party has given a lot… There was no vandalism. But we will convince them, they will agree. They are our own workers…”, Mishra told news agency ANI.
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BJP rules out change of candidate for Datia bypoll
Amid protests by supporters of Mishra, state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has ruled out any possibility of the party changing its candidate for the Datia Assembly bypoll.
“The BJP is a democratic party. Workers express their views, but they are disciplined. Once they are spoken to, everyone will accept the party’s decision and Ashutosh Tiwari will win by a huge margin,” Vijayvargiya told reporters.
The minister said he had not yet spoken to Mishra but was confident the former state home minister would stand by the party’s decision.
“Many people prepare to contest elections, but not everyone can get a ticket. The party’s decision is paramount, and every worker will abide by it,” he said.
Protestors blocked national highway for nearly 12 hours
The remarks came after protests by Mishra’s supporters turned violent in Datia. More than 3,000 protesters blocked National Highway 44 for nearly 12 hours, leaving the district superintendent of police and several other police personnel injured, officials said.
According to Datia Collector Swapnil Wankhede, protesters resorted to stone-pelting after being asked to clear the highway, forcing police to use tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and detain some demonstrators. He, however, maintained that police did not use force against the protesters.
Wankhede said the mob also vandalised police and other vehicles before the highway was cleared. He added that the situation is now under control.
The Datia Assembly bypoll was necessitated after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified following his conviction and three-year jail sentence in a cheating case in April this year.
(With PTI inputs)
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