Datia (Madhya Pradesh), July 6 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced the schedule for the bye-election to the Datia Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh, with July 13 fixed as the last date for filing nominations and polling scheduled for July 30.

The bypoll has become necessary following the disqualification of sitting Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti, whose Assembly seat fell vacant earlier this year.

According to the notification issued by the Commission, scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on July 14, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is July 16.

Polling, if required, will take place on July 30 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., and the election process will be completed by August 4.

Explaining the reason for the bypoll, the Election Commission said, “The seat of Rajendra Bharti, elected from 22-Datia Assembly Constituency, had become vacant on 2nd April, 2026, by reason of his disqualification under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution.”

The Commission further said it has “called upon the said 22-Datia Assembly Constituency in the State of Madhya Pradesh, to elect, before the August 4, 2026, a person for the purpose of filling the said vacancy in the Legislative Assembly of the State.”

The Datia bypoll has drawn considerable political attention as the constituency witnessed one of the biggest upsets in the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections.

Congress candidate Rajendra Bharti had defeated senior BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, ending the latter’s nearly two-decade hold over the seat.

Mishra, a prominent BJP strategist and one of the party’s most influential leaders in the state, had represented Datia multiple times and served as Home Minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government.

However, Bharti’s election was cut short after his conviction in a criminal case led to his disqualification under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, resulting in the seat being declared vacant on April 2 this year and making a bye-election mandatory.

The bypoll is expected to trigger an intense contest between the ruling BJP, which will look to regain a constituency once considered its bastion, and the Congress, which will seek to retain the seat despite the disqualification of its MLA.

–IANS

pd/rad