Datia (Madhya Pradesh), August 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Congress retained the Datia Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, with its candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeating BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari by a margin of 6,016 votes in the by-election, according to the Election Commission of India.
Singh secured 66,757 votes, accounting for 42.39 per cent of the total votes polled, while Tiwari received 60,741 votes with a 38.57 per cent vote share. Azad Samaj Party candidate Damodar Yadav finished third with 22,527 votes.
The Congress candidate maintained an advantage through most rounds of counting. By the ninth round, Singh had established a lead of 9,519 votes. Although the BJP candidate reduced the margin in later rounds, Singh held on to his lead and secured victory.
Reacting to the result, Ghanshyam Singh termed it a mandate of the people and expressed confidence that the outcome would strengthen the Congress ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.
“This is a victory of the people, a victory of trust and a victory of the Congress party,” Singh said after the results were announced.
BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari said the party would examine the reasons behind the defeat. He also referred to alleged internal differences during the campaign while speaking to reporters at the counting centre.
The by-election witnessed political changes within both major parties. The BJP replaced senior leader Narottam Mishra with Tiwari as its candidate, while the Congress suspended former MLA Rajendra Bharti from primary membership a day before counting over allegations of anti-party activities.
Congress Media Department Chairman Mukesh Nayak credited the victory to the leadership of state Congress president Jitu Patwari and the party’s organisational efforts during the campaign.
The Datia seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified following his conviction in a cooperative rural development bank fraud case. Bharti had won the seat in the 2023 Assembly elections by defeating then Home Minister Narottam Mishra by 7,742 votes, ending the BJP’s hold over the constituency.
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