Datia Bypoll: Congress Candidate Ghanshyam Singh Files Nomination, Jitu Patwari Predicts 25,000-Vote Victory

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh filed his nomination for the Datia Assembly bypoll on Monday, with the party declaring the election a historic opportunity to transform the state.

The people of Datia have a historic opportunity to transform the face of the state, while the BJP government has made several promises but none of them have been fulfilled, state Congress president Jitu Patwari said.

Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition (LoP) Umang Singhar, former CM Digvijaya Singh and ex-MLA Rajendra Bharti, accompanied Singh to the Collectorate during the nomination process. Patwari claimed that the Congress candidate would register a victory in the election by a margin of 25,000 votes.

After filing the nomination, Singh thanked the Congress leadership and the people of Datia for reposing faith in him. "The Congress party has given me this responsibility after taking feedback from the people.

My name was at the top in the party's surveys. I am grateful to the leadership and to the people of Datia. Their support gives me confidence," said Singh. He added, "Narottam Mishra's ticket being cut has changed the political equations.

There is widespread dissatisfaction within the BJP. Many of their own workers will not support the party in this election. Congress is fully confident of victory." The Samajwadi Party has supported the INDIA bloc candidate, Congress, in the election.

Backup nominees

Rattled by the recent rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections, the Congress has fielded two "dummy" candidates in the by-election to ensure that its bid does not fizzle out.

Congress leader Awdhesh Nayak return to BJP

Congress leader Awdhesh Nayak, who quit the BJP in 2023 to join the opposition camp, may return to his parent organisation.

Nayak aspired for a ticket from the Congress for the by-election in Datia, but the party fielded Ghanshyam Singh.

As a result, Nayak kept away from the event held during Singh's filing of nominations on Monday.

The Congress, which fielded Nayak in the 2023 assembly elections, changed the candidate in 24 hours and gave a ticket to Rajendra Bharti.

According to Nayak, when the party changed the candidate in 2023, its leaders assured him that he would get a ticket next time.

Although he has no problem with Singh, the Congress leadership have reneged on their promises, Nayak said.

Because Nayak worked for the BJP for a long time, party leaders continued their efforts to bring him back to the organisation.

On the other hand, the BJP's state unit president Hemant Khandelwal kept mum over Nayak's return to the party.

Digvijaya apologises to Nayak

Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh apologised to Awdhesh Nayak at a Congress meeting.

Singh said he objected to giving a ticket to Nayak in 2023. When Nayak met him for a ticket, Singh advised him to work for the party because he had come from the RSS, Singh said.

So, during the assembly elections, Nayak worked hard, Singh said and apologised to him.