Datia Bypoll 2026: Denied Ticket by BJP, Narottam Mishra Breaks Down on Stage During Ashutosh Tiwari’s Nomination Rally (Watch)

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra broke down on stage today during a mega public rally held for the nomination filing of the party's official candidate, Ashutosh Tiwari, for the upcoming Datia Assembly bypoll. The emotional moment occurred in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal, and several top party functionaries who shared the stage. Chief Minister Yadav was seen consoling a visibly tearful Mishra, who sat next to him as the rally progressed.

Despite being visibly shaken by the party's decision to deny him the ticket, Mishra publically dismissed rumors of internal dissent. Addressing a massive gathering of party workers, he declared that he harbors no resentment and announced that he would personally camp in the constituency from July 16 to secure Tiwari's victory. MP: BJP Candidate Ashutosh Tiwari Files Nomination for Datia By-election, Narottam Mishra Gets Emotional During Nomination Rally.

The high-stakes event marked the final day of the nomination process for the Datia by-election. Accompanied by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and senior leadership, the BJP candidate, Ashutosh Tiwari, officially submitted his nomination papers to the returning officer this afternoon. Prior to filing his papers, Tiwari offered prayers at the famous Maa Pitambara Peeth temple in Datia, seeking blessings for his electoral debut.

On the opposing front, the Congress party has officially filed its nomination papers through its candidate, Kunwar Ghanshyam Singh, turning the Datia seat into a major bipartisan battleground. The by-election for the Datia Assembly seat, scheduled for July 30 with vote counting on August 3, was necessitated after sitting Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified from the state assembly following a three-year prison sentence in a bank fraud case. Bharti had defeated Mishra in the 2023 Assembly elections by over 7,500 votes.

Mishra, a six-time MLA who represented Datia for three consecutive terms, had been actively preparing for a political comeback, even purchasing a nomination form earlier this month. BJP's Narottam Mishra Arrives in Delhi After Datia Bypoll Ticket Snub.

Emotional Narottam Mishra Vows to Ensure Victory

VIDEO | Datia, MP: Overlooked by BJP for Datia bypoll, Narottam Mishra breaks down while sharing the stage with candidate Ashutosh Tiwari at a rally. pic.twitter.com/MyE0WXuj7G

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 13, 2026

However, the BJP central leadership skipped the political heavyweight in favor of Tiwari, a long-time RSS-BJP organizational face. The surprise announcement on Friday triggered massive backlash, with thousands of Mishra’s supporters blocking National Highway-44 for nearly 12 hours and clashing with local law enforcement. Mishra’s emotional display at today’s rally is seen as a major public damage-control effort by the party unit to project unity ahead of the crucial voting day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 13, 2026 08:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).