Datia (Madhya Pradesh), July 13: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ashutosh Tiwari on Monday filed his nomination papers for the Datia Assembly by-election in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra, and state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal.

The nomination filing drew significant attention as former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra participated in the event despite not being chosen as the BJP candidate for the bypoll. During the nomination rally, Mishra became emotional while addressing party workers, underscoring the significance of the occasion.

After submitting his nomination, Tiwari expressed confidence in the party leadership and pledged to live up to its expectations.

"I trust the leadership and will try to meet their expectations," he told

Responding to Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari's claim that the Congress would register a resounding victory in the by-election, Tiwari dismissed the assertion, saying the Congress leader was entitled to his opinion.

Taking a swipe at senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, Tiwari said the people of Madhya Pradesh had already experienced his leadership and would continue to support the BJP's development agenda.

"Narottam Mishra is our guardian and a senior party leader. We all work under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. There is no competition within the party, and the people of Datia stand with development,"he said.

Earlier, Narottam Mishra rejected speculation of dissatisfaction after being denied the BJP ticket, stating that he held no resentment and would fully respect the party's decision.

The clarification came after some of Mishra's supporters blocked National Highway-44 on Friday evening following the BJP's announcement naming Ashutosh Tiwari as its candidate for the Datia bypoll. Mishra, a three-time MLA from Datia who lost the seat in the 2023 Assembly elections, said he would persuade party workers to support Tiwari's campaign and carry out any responsibility assigned by the party leadership.

The Congress has fielded Kunwar Ghanshyam Singh as its candidate for the by-election.

The Election Commission of India has scheduled polling for the Datia Assembly by-election onJuly 30, with counting of votes set forAugust 3.

The bypoll was necessitated after the Datia Assembly seat fell vacant following the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti after his conviction in a fraud case.