'Our Own Party Workers Betrayed Us,' Former MP Minister Imarti Devi On BJP's Datia Bypoll Defeat | VIDEO

Datia (Madhya Pradesh): Senior BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh minister Imarti Devi alleged betrayal by the party workers as the reason behind Ashutosh Tiwari's defeat in Datia Assembly by-election.

Reacting to the result, Imarti Devi said, "Hum chunav acche tareeke se jeet rahe the, lekin hamare party ke logon ne hi bhitarghaat karke chunav harwa diya. Aise logon se hamari party ko bachkar rehna chahiye." (We were on course to win the election comfortably, but some people from our own party worked against us and caused our defeat. The BJP must stay away from such people.)

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Her remarks have sparked fresh discussion over internal differences within the BJP after the party lost the Datia bypoll despite a high-profile campaign.

The BJP had fielded several senior leaders during the campaign, including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Union Communication Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Despite the extensive campaigning, the party lost the seat to the Congress' Ghanshyam Singh.

Following the defeat, political observers have pointed to possible reasons such as factionalism, dissatisfaction among local leaders, inactive workers, differences over ticket distribution and poor coordination.

However, the BJP has not officially confirmed any of these reasons.

Although Imarti Devi did not name any individual, she said the party should identify those who acted against its interests during the election and take action to prevent similar setbacks in the future.

Her statement comes as the BJP continues to review the reasons behind its loss in the Datia Assembly by-election.