Bhopal/Datia, Aug 3 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh BJP president Hemant Khandelwal on Monday said that the party would undertake a comprehensive review of its defeat in the Datia Assembly bypoll and take action if any instance of indiscipline was found, while the Congress projected the result as the beginning of a political shift in the state ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.
The BJP accepted the verdict after Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh retained the Datia seat by defeating BJP nominee Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party humbly accepts the mandate given by the voters. We will review the election result and formulate our future strategy based on the conclusions drawn from that exercise,” Khandelwal said in a statement.
Emphasising the importance of organisational discipline, he said the BJP would not tolerate any violation of party norms. “For the BJP, party discipline is paramount, and nothing is above it. Every worker, irrespective of the position he or she holds, is expected to function within the party’s discipline. If anyone is found responsible for violating it, the party will certainly take action,” Khandelwal said.
His remarks came amid reports of internal dissidence during the election campaign.
Soon after the defeat, BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari had alleged that some people within the party had worked against him, saying those who called the BJP their “mother” had betrayed it. According to the Election Commission, Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh secured 66,757 votes, accounting for 42.39 per cent of the total votes polled, while Ashutosh Tiwari received 60,741 votes, or 38.57 per cent.
Azad Samaj Party candidate Damodar Yadav finished third with 22,527 votes, or 14.30 per cent of the votes.
The Congress maintained its lead through most rounds of counting. Although the BJP reduced the margin in the later stages, Ghanshyam Singh held on to his advantage to retain the seat.
On the other side, reacting to the victory, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari said the result marked the beginning of a “new politics” in the state. He claimed the verdict reflected growing public support for the issues raised by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and said its impact would be visible in the 2028 Assembly elections.
Patwari also thanked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his party workers for supporting the Congress in the by-election, saying the victory belonged to the alliance as well.
–IANS
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