A day after the BJP's decision to deny former Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra a ticket for the Datia assembly bypoll sparked violent protests by his supporters, the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday offered him its nomination, in an unusual political overture aimed at one of the BJP's most recognisable leaders.
Sunil Sharma, the Madhya Pradesh chief of the Maharashtra-based Shiv Sena (UBT) led by BJP's friend-turned-foe Uddhav Thackeray, said the party had formally invited Mishra to contest the July 30 bypoll after consulting the leadership.
“I have extended the offer to Mishra after talking to our leadership,” Sharma told news agency PTI. The party also released a video message inviting the BJP leader to join its ranks.
Sharma said that if Mishra accepted the offer, Uddhav Thackeray and his son and SS (UBT) youth leader Aaditya Thackeray, and other senior leaders, would campaign for him in Datia.
The offer came a day after the BJP named Ashutosh Tiwari as its candidate for the Datia by-election, overlooking Mishra, a former minister who had represented the constituency several times before losing the 2023 assembly election to Congress candidate Rajendra Bharti.
The BJP's decision triggered an extraordinary backlash in Datia, where Mishra retains considerable political influence.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP's decision triggered an extraordinary backlash in Datia, where Mishra retains considerable political influence.
{{/usCountry}}Supporters blocked National Highway 44 for nearly 12 hours, staged demonstrations, enforced a market shutdown, and locked the local BJP office. The protesters clashed also with police, pelting stones and vandalising property, leaving several police personnel injured as authorities used force and tear gas to restore order.
Several local BJP office-bearers also reportedly resigned in protest over the denial of the ticket.
What Mishra has said
Mishra, however, publicly appealed for restraint, and said nothing on the Thackeray party's offer.
Referring to videos circulating on social media purportedly showing supporters threatening self-harm, he said, “I urge all party workers... not to engage in such actions. Within the party forum, views are expressed in an appropriate manner. They are not conveyed in this fashion.”
Later on Saturday, Mishra reiterated that “the party's decision is supreme” and signalled he would stand by the BJP despite the disappointment.
“I will definitely be part of the election campaign,” he said.
Senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya also ruled out any rethink by the party, making it clear that Ashutosh Tiwari would remain the BJP's official candidate despite the protests.
The Datia bypoll was necessitated after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti, who had defeated Mishra in the 2023 assembly election, was disqualified following his conviction and three-year prison sentence in a cheating case.
For Shiv Sena (UBT), which has little organisational presence in Madhya Pradesh, the offer to Mishra apparently serves a political purpose beyond the Datia contest. It comes at a difficult time for Uddhav Thackeray's party, which has itself been grappling with a prolonged political crisis since the 2022 rebellion led by Eknath Shinde split the undivided Shiv Sena. The Election Commission later recognised the Shinde-led faction as the official Shiv Sena and allotted it the party's iconic bow-and-arrow symbol, leaving Uddhav Thackeray's camp to function as Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
The party has since suffered further setbacks, including the recent defection of six of its Lok Sabha MPs to the Shinde-led Sena, reducing its strength in Parliament to three members.
Uddhav Thackeray has repeatedly accused the BJP of orchestrating the split through political pressure and the use of central agencies, allegations the BJP has consistently rejected.