BJP's Datia Bypoll Strategy: Khandelwal Meets Mishra Amid MLA Disqualification

State BJP President Khandelwal reached Mishra's official residence located in Char Imli area in Bhopal. Subsequently, both leaders held a closed-door meeting, which lasted nearly half-an-hour.

The BJP said it was a courtesy meeting between both senior party leaders; however, this crucial meeting has triggered speculation over the party's strategy for the upcoming bypoll in Datia Assembly constituency.

Sources in the BJP told IANS that the discussion largely revolved around electoral preparedness in Datia, an Assembly constituency that has long been considered a stronghold of Narottam Mishra.

A five-time (from 2005 to 2023) Former Minister Narottam Mishra had represented the Datia Assembly seat thrice before he lost to Congress' Rajendra Bharti in the last election held in November-December 2023.

The renewed political focus on Datia comes after a Delhi's Special MP-MLA Court convicted Bharti in connection with a bank fraud case and sentenced him to three years imprisonment, following, which he was disqualified from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on April 2.

Interestingly, this crucial meeting comes soon after the Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notices on petitions filed by Bharti, challenging his conviction and three-year sentence in the Garmin Vikas Bank cheating case, which led to his disqualification from the State Assembly.

Delhi High Court's bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, however, denied Bharti any interim relief at this stage, and fixed the matter for next hearing on April 15.

The court sought the Madhya Pradesh government's response to Bharti's plea challenging his conviction and three-year sentence awarded by a Special MP-MLA court in New Delhi on April 1.

It also issued notice on his separate petition seeking a stay on the conviction and sentence, but refrained from passing any immediate order in his favour.

The High Court also issued notice on Bharti's plea seeking directions to the Election Commission of India not to announce the election schedule for the Datia Assembly constituency, which fell vacant following his disqualification after conviction.

However, the court did not stay the election process or restrain the poll panel from proceeding.

Congress leader Bharti moved the High Court seeking urgent intervention, saying that the announcement of the election schedule would cause irreparable harm to his political career while his appeal against conviction remains pending.

On April 1, a Special MP-MLA court in Delhi convicted Bharti in the Rural Development Bank fraud case and sentenced him to three years' imprisonment.

The trial court, however, granted him bail, allowing him to remain out of custody while pursuing legal remedies.

Following the conviction, Bharti was disqualified as an MLA, rendering the Datia Assembly seat vacant, and triggering the possibility of a bypoll.

- IANS