Datia bypoll records 71.4% turnout, direct contest between BJP, Congress

The Datia Assembly byelection recorded a voter turnout of 71.4 per cent till the close of polling on Thursday, around nine percentage points lower than the 80.2 per cent turnout recorded in the 2023 Assembly election.

Polling remained largely peaceful despite sporadic technical glitches, rain-related disruptions and allegations of irregularities by the Congress. Counting of votes will take place on August 3.

The byelection witnessed a direct contest between BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari and Congress nominee Ghanshyam Singh, while Damodar Singh Yadav of the Azad Samaj Party was also in the fray along with 18 other candidates. A total of 291 polling stations were set up for the election, including 186 in rural areas and 105 in urban areas. The constituency has over 2.20 lakh registered voters.

Datia Collector and District Election Officer Swapnil Wankhede said polling commenced on schedule at all booths and adequate arrangements had been made to ensure free and fair voting. Minor technical glitches were reported in VVPAT, ballot and control units at a few polling stations, but officials said these were resolved without affecting the polling process.

The Congress alleged incidents of fake voting at polling stations in Sirol and Jigna, prompting candidate Ghanshyam Singh to visit the locations and raise the issue with election officials. The party also accused the BJP of attempting booth capturing at Polling Booth No. 51. Singh alleged that one of his polling agents was taken away by police, while another BJP polling agent tried to influence the voting process before being removed by CRPF personnel. He demanded an impartial inquiry, claiming the entire incident was captured on CCTV.

Former Home Minister Narottam Mishra dismissed the allegations, saying the Congress routinely levels such charges whenever it anticipates defeat. State Congress President Jitu Patwari, however, claimed the party would register a comfortable victory despite the BJP deploying its full organisational strength.

Polling was briefly affected by waterlogging at a few booths due to rain, while residents of Lakhanpur village initially boycotted voting over the lack of road connectivity before officials persuaded them to cast their votes.

The byelection was necessitated following the disqualification of former Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti after his conviction in a fraud case.

Bharti had defeated Narottam Mishra by 7,742 votes in the 2023 Assembly election.