Senior Madhya Pradesh BJP leader and former home minister Narottam Mishra skipped a BJP review meeting on Tuesday convened to analyse the party’s defeat in the Datia assembly bypoll, triggering speculation over his role in the electoral setback and his standing within the party.
The senior BJP leader and former home minister Narottam Mishra was denied a ticket by the party to contest in the assembly bypoll. (@drnarottammisra/X)
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The meeting, said people aware of the matter, was held at CM Mohan Yadav’s residence in Bhopal a day after Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeated BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes in the bypoll.
Mishra’s absence drew attention as he was in Bhopal when the meeting took place. The BJP had made the Datia contest a prestige battle, deploying at least 12 ministers, including a deputy CM, six MPs and several senior leaders during the campaign.
A senior party leader, requesting anonymity, said, “The decision to not call Mishra, once considered the BJP’s strongman in Datia, suggests his role is also under question, especially given the reactions of his supporters when he was denied a ticket.”
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Mishra declined to comment when contacted by HT.
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Mishra declined to comment when contacted by HT.
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Khandelwal avoided directly addressing Mishra’s absence but announced the formation of a two-member committee to examine the reasons of defeat.
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.
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Home/India News/Narottam Mishra skips BJP meet held to discuss Datia assembly bypoll defeat
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