The Congress on Monday retained the Datia assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh, with the party candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeating his BJP rival Ashutosh Tiwari of the BJP by 6,016 votes in the byelection marked by differences in the BJP camp over the choice of candidate.
At the end of 15 rounds of counting, Singh secured 66,757 votes, while Tiwari polled 60,741 votes. Azad Samaj Party candidate Damodar Yadav secured third position by bagging 22,527 votes, poll data showed.
State Congress chief Jitu Patwari described it as a victory for the people of Datia, a clarion call for the 2028 assembly elections, and the result of the collective efforts of Congress leaders.
Patwari told reporters in Bhopal that Datia voters have exposed the corruption, terror, and arrogance of the BJP-led government.
He said the people of Datia have laid the foundation for change and the BJP's departure.
A total of 21 candidates contested the by-election.
At one point, the Congress candidate's lead of 12,607 votes over his BJP rival appeared unassailable, but the BJP nominee managed to close the gap by almost half in the last rounds.
The byelection was necessitated after a Delhi court in April sentenced sitting Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti to three years' imprisonment in a cheating case, leading to the cancellation of his Assembly membership.
"This verdict marks the beginning of the end of the BJP," Ghanshyam Singh told reporters.
In Bhopal, celebrations broke out at the state Congress headquarters with party workers distributing sweets.
The bypolls saw a healthy 71.44 per cent voter turnout, though the main fight was between Congress' Singh and Tiwari of the ruling BJP.
Then-Congress nominee Bharti had defeated BJP candidate and former state Home Minister Narottam Mishra in Datia by over 7,700 votes in the 2023 Assembly elections.
For the by-election, the BJP denied a ticket to Mishra and instead fielded Tiwari.
Ghanshyam Singh expressed confidence that the Congress will form the next government in Madhya Pradesh in 2028, adding that the party was working to see Rahul Gandhi become the next Prime Minister.
He said his priority would be to promote communal harmony in Datia and end political vendetta.
"I will work to end gambling and betting rackets in the constituency," he said.
