“There is no competition”: BJP Datia candidate Ashutosh Tiwari hits back at Congress’ victory claims

Datia (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 13 (ANI): Dismissing the victory claims of the Congress party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Datia Assembly by-election, Ashutosh Tiwari, on Monday launched a scathing attack on opposition leaders Jitu Patwari and Digvijaya Singh, asserting that there is "no competition" for the BJP in the constituency.
Speaking to ANI in Datia, Tiwari maintained that the election narrative in Datia is centred solely on progress.
"All the voters of Datia are with development. There is no competition here as the people have seen the work done by the double-engine government," he asserted.
Reacting to Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari's earlier statement that the Congress would win the seat by a margin of 25,000 votes, Tiwari said, "He has his own claims. He should first say how many votes he lost by himself. He should give his own details first before predicting margins for others," taking a jibe at Patwari's previous electoral performances.
Tiwari further targeted veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, using the "Bantadhar" (spoiler/ruiner) label frequently used by the BJP to describe Singh's tenure as Chief Minister.
"Madhya Pradesh has already suffered under Digvijaya Singh as 'Bantadhar.' There is no question of his acceptability among the public now," he remarked.
Addressing the derogatory remarks allegedly made by Congress leaders comparing senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra to the mythological character 'Ravana,' Tiwari stated that such comments would not affect the party's unity or Mishra's stature.
"Narottam-ji is our guardian and a senior leader of the party. All of us workers are working under the leadership of Madhya Pradesh's successful Chief Minister, Dr Mohan Yadav and will fight this election together. Narottam-ji's guidance is vital for us," Tiwari added.
The BJP candidate expressed his gratitude to the party high command and attributed his candidacy to divine intervention. "It is the Mother's (Goddess Pitambara) grace and the leadership's trust. I will make every effort to live up to it and will remain in the service of the Mother and the people of Datia," he said.
The Datia by-election has turned into a high-stakes battle with both the BJP and Congress deploying their top leadership to the region. While the Congress is banking on a narrative of internal BJP dissatisfaction, the ruling party has consolidated its front, with Narottam Mishra himself accompanying the Chief Minister for Tiwari's nomination filing to project a united image.
The Datia Assembly seat fell vacant following the disqualification of Rajendra Bharti on April 2. The disqualification was under the provisions of Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution.
The Election Commission of India has announced that polling for the Datia Assembly bypoll will be held on July 30, while counting of votes will take place on August 3. (ANI)