When the Election Commission of India (ECI) disqualified senior BJP minister Narottam Mishra for three years in 2017 in an alleged case of ‘paid news’ and for giving an incorrect account of expenses incurred in the 2008 assembly elections, the entire party leadership had thrown its weight behind him. The Delhi High Court later acquitted Mishra for lack of direct proof.
Mishra was the face of the BJP government for many years, briefing the media after cabinet meetings, articulating the party position in public, and enjoying the trust of senior leadership, including chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, now a union minister in the NDA government led by Narendra Modi. Later, he was seen as a contender for the top job in the state.
Within days of the party losing the crucial by-election to the Datia constituency, Mishra is now almost friendless. The former home minister invited the wrath of the party high command after his supporters took to the streets immediately in protest when his claim was ignored. The snub came when Mishra had almost started campaigning, treating the official announcement as a mere formality.
The scale of violence, including attacks on police personnel, was seen as a sign of a rebellion by the powerful high command led by Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, who are not used to such open defiance. The party didn’t budge and went ahead with Ashutosh Tiwari, a newcomer with an RSS background.
Mishra had no option but to reconcile with the party’s decision and publicly claim that he and his supporters would work tirelessly to ensure Tiwari’s victory. Mishra had lost from the same seat in the 2023 assembly elections. The party reportedly cited an internal survey showing he was unlikely to win again. Another argument was that, in the unlikely event of his win, another power centre would be created in the state.
Datia Defeat Leaves Narottam Mishra Fighting for Relevance
Though Mishra himself was not on the ticket, he was under the scanner throughout the campaigning for possible sabotage of the official candidate’s chances. It came as no comfort to the party that the official candidate had only managed to reduce the margin of loss. In an unprecedented move, the BJP dissolved the entire Datia district organisation, which included hundreds of office-bearers at various levels.
At a stock-taking meeting held at the chief minister’s official bungalow in Bhopal, many leaders tasked with poll supervision reportedly pointed fingers at Mishra and his supporters, including councillors in the local municipal body. They were accused of working against the official candidate during the crucial period before voting.
The party has neither initiated disciplinary proceedings against anyone nor asked Mishra to explain the alleged reports of sabotage. Ironically, Mishra, once a rising star, was eying a return to the assembly. As much as the loss in the by-election, what has gone against Mishra is his inability to rein in his supporters when they attacked police vehicles and blocked traffic. Reportedly, slogans were shouted against senior leaders.
The EC’s decision to disqualify Mishra in 2017 had come nine years after the allegations were first raised. In between, he won the 2013 elections from the same constituency and cited the victory as proof of his popularity during the legal proceedings. While his appeal was pending, he was not allowed to cast his vote in the presidential election that year.
Two successive losses in Datia, including when he was on the ticket three years ago, have made Mishra’s position vulnerable. Mishra had once lost to Jyotiraditya Scindia from Guna Lok Sabha constituency. The loss didn’t affect his political career because Guna was considered a bastion of the erstwhile Scindia royal family. Scindia, who later switched loyalty to the BJP, was among scores of ministers and leaders who campaigned in the recent Datia by-poll.
In a bid to placate the party, Mishra met Tiwari and claimed that speculations about differences between the two were untrue. He said Tiwari had not blamed anyone for his loss. He appealed to his supporters not to comment or engage in behaviour that would harm the party, organisation or Tiwari.
The 66-year-old now has a long road ahead.
