The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari for his statements made during campaigning for the Datia Assembly bypoll. Patwari alleged that the BJP had brought Rs 50 crore to Datia to sway voters, planned to distribute Rs 5,000 per vote, and aimed to control polling booths with police and administrative support.
Patwari accused the BJP of bringing in money to buy votes and distributing Rs 5,000 per vote during a public meeting in Datia. He also claimed that the BJP intended to manipulate polling booths with the help of authorities. The BJP, in response, labeled Patwari’s allegations as false and misleading, designed to create distrust and influence voters during the Model Code of Conduct period.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to investigate the matter promptly and bar Patwari from campaigning in the Datia Assembly constituency for the remaining bypoll period. The bypoll in Datia was triggered by the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti due to financial irregularities, with polling scheduled for July 30 and vote counting on August 3. The BJP has nominated Ashutosh Shukla against the Congress’ Ghanshyam Singh.
