Narottam Mishra called to Bhopal a day after Datia rocked ticket denial protests

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) elected debutant Ashutosh Tiwari for the Datia Assembly by-election, former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra arrived in Bhopal.

The state BJP leadership, which went into damage control mode after massive protests by its supporters, invited him to the capital even as senior leaders ruled out any possibility of a candidate change. Mr. Mishra also appealed to his supporters to remain calm and that he would convince them to campaign on the party’s ticket.

A source in the BJP told The Hindu that Mr. Mishra received a call from state unit general secretary (organization) Hitanand Sharma.

The protests, which began on Friday after the BJP announced Mr Tiwari as its candidate for the July 30 bypass, turned massive and violent overnight, with hundreds of Mr Mishra’s supporters blocking National Highway-44 and clashing with the police, resorting to stone-pelting and vandalism. The blockade lasted more than 10 hours and was only lifted early Saturday morning. Besides, scores of BJP functionaries, from the booth to the district level, also resigned in protest.

The protests and the latest political developments reflect Mr Mishra’s control over the BJP organization in his stronghold of Datia, as well as the anger of his supporters, who saw the upcoming polls as an opportunity for him to return to the state’s power center and the position he built up over decades and consolidated during his tenure as home minister from 2020 to 2023.

Speaking to reporters after arriving in Bhopal, Mr. Mishra said, “I am not angry with anyone and I will meet everyone. Whoever asks me, I will meet them. We will convince our workers and they will understand.”

Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters in Indore, “Once a candidate is announced, there has never been a tradition in the BJP to change the ticket. I don’t think the candidate will change.”

Deputy CM Jagdish Devda said that everyone will follow the party’s decision and “no situation will arise which could adversely affect the organisation”.

Published – 12 Jul 2026 01:16 IST