The Election Commission of India has announced that voting for the Datia assembly by-election will be held on July 30.
The by-election for the Datia assembly seat was necessitated after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti’s assembly membership was revoked on April 2 following his sentencing in a 25-year-old criminal case.
In the 2023 assembly election, he defeated former home minister and senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra by 7,742 votes.
According to the schedule announced by ECI, the notification for the by-election will be issued on July 6. The last date for filing nominations is July 13, scrutiny of nomination papers is set for July 14, and the deadline for withdrawing nominations is July 16. The polling will take place on July 30, and counting will be done on August 3. The entire election process will be concluded by August 4.
Leader of opposition in the state assembly Umang Singhar said, “In 2023, the people of Datia elected Congress candidate Rajendra Bharti as their MLA with a massive majority. However, his membership was cancelled due to a conspiracy involving the BJP and the Election Commission. Now, the BJP wants to capture this seat by hastily holding a by-election in Datia. We are fully confident that the people of Datia will once again place their trust in the Congress party.”
BJP urban development minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said, “The responsibility for conducting elections for vacant seats within the stipulated timeframe lies with the Election Commission. The Congressmen have made a habit of questioning constitutional institutions. BJP will win the election for sure.”
{{/usCountry}}BJP urban development minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said, “The responsibility for conducting elections for vacant seats within the stipulated timeframe lies with the Election Commission. The Congressmen have made a habit of questioning constitutional institutions. BJP will win the election for sure.”
{{/usCountry}}On April 3, the MP assembly secretariat had disqualified Rajendra Bharti from the membership of the Legislative Assembly, citing the Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling and provisions under Article 191(1)(c) of the Constitution read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in a 25-year-old fraud case by the Delhi Special MP/MLA court under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 467 and 468 (forgery), and 471 (using forged documents) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case dates to Bharti’s tenure as chairman of the District Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank in Datia in 2001. Investigators alleged that Bharti, in collusion with a bank clerk, manipulated fixed deposits worth ₹10 lakh by altering maturity periods and related documents, enabling him to withdraw money at higher interest rates beyond the stipulated terms.