Datia, July 11: The core leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Datia has suffered a wave of resignations after more than 3,000 protesters engaged in violent clashes with law enforcement to protest the denial of a by-election ticket to former Home Minister Narottam Mishra. The district unit president along with several local corporators resigned from the party setup on Friday night as anger spilled onto the streets over the nomination of Ashutosh Tiwari.
The aggressive demonstration caused widespread disruption across Datia town and paralyzed regional transit on National Highway-44 for nearly twelve hours. Police personnel were forced to use tear gas to restore order after protesters resorted to stone-pelting. Datia SP Mayur Khandelwal affirmed that over six police personnel sustained injuries during the confrontation when the crowd refused to clear the highway and tried to shut down commercial markets by force.
The upcoming July 30 by-election was triggered by a sudden vacancy in the constituency earlier this year. Congress leader Rajendra Bharti had won the seat against Mishra in 2023, but a subsequent three-year jail term handed down by a Delhi court in a cheating case led to his automatic disqualification as an MLA.
The sudden shift in the party ticket strategy caught Mishra and his closest aides completely off guard. Insiders stated that the former minister was confident of his candidacy and had already secured his nomination papers before Friday’s official announcement.
Supporters gathered at the protest site declared their absolute refusal to compromise with the party high command. A demonstrator maintained that the public agitation would continue indefinitely until Narottam Dada receives the official nomination, asserting that the local worker base is ready to sever ties with the organization entirely.
District administrative authorities confirmed that strict legal action is being initiated against those who destroyed public property during the blockade. Datia Collector Swapnil Wankhede declared that the administration exhausted all peaceful options to pacify the crowd before the violence began. Officers have detained several individuals for damaging police vehicles and disrupting the peace, with formal counting for the seat scheduled to take place on August 3.
