After the BJP announced Ashutosh Tiwari as the party's candidate for the Datia assembly bypolls in Madhya Pradesh scheduled on July 30, former Home Minister Narottam Mishra has responded over denial of ticket.
The senior BJP leader said he has no complaints and would work on any shortcomings on his part.
"Whatever will happen, will be good. Everyone expects a ticket. There is no problem. I am not at all sad. The party has given a lot," he told ANI.
Around 3,000 supporters of Mishra protested in Datia over ticket denial and pelted stones at the police. On Friday night, thousands blocked NH-44, bringing the traffic to a grinding halt.
Reacting to the violent protests, Mishra said, "There was no vandalism. But we will convince them, they will agree. They are our own workers."
Addressing his supporters, the senior BJP leader said, "I urge all party workers, especially after seeing videos on social media of workers pouring petrol or kerosene, not to engage in such actions... Within the party forum, views are expressed in an appropriate manner. They are not conveyed in this fashion."
Amid violence, state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Saturday said Tiwari will remain BJP's candidate for Datia poll. "The BJP is a democratic party. Workers express their views, but they are disciplined. Once they are spoken to, everyone will accept the party's decision and Ashutosh Tiwari will win by a huge margin," he told reporters.
Vijayavargiya expressed confidence that Mishra will respect the party's decision. "Many people prepare to contest elections, but not everyone can get a ticket. The party's decision is paramount, and every worker will abide by it," he said.
Mishra was defeated by Congress's Rajendra Bharti by more than 7,500 votes in the 2023 elections. However, Bharti was handed three years in prison in a cheating case in April this year, following which he was disqualified.
Though Bharti has been granted bail, his disqualification has necessitated a byelection in Datia.
