Damodar Yadav 'Mandal' turned what was expected to be a two-way battle in Madhya Pradesh's Datia bypoll into a triangular fight. The Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) candidate received 22,527 votes and earned 14.3% of the vote share in the bypoll, which was won by Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh.
Singh defeated Bharatiya Janata Party's Neeraj Kumar, who was fielded in place of Narottam Mishra. Congress retained the seat, which Rajendra Kumar Bharti had won during the 2023 Assembly elections, ending the 15-year-long stronghold of BJP and its candidate Mishra. The seat went to the poll after Bharti was sentenced to three years' imprisonment in a cheating case.
While Congress celebrated the win, Damodar's performance marked an uptick in the ASP's (Kanshi Ram) foothold in the constituency. Damodar thanked the party workers after the strong performance. "In the Datia assembly by-election, the Azad Samaj Party waged a courageous battle against the power of money, muscle, and authority," the ASP (Kanshi Ram) candidate said in a social media post.
"Salute to the hard work and dedication of all workers. We have laid a strong foundation for the future politics of the Azad Samaj Party in Datia. Jai Bhim!" he added.
Who is Damodar Yadav 'Mandal'
Damodar Yadav Mandal is a senior Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) member. He is serving as the National Core Committee member of the party and also the Chief of the Dalit Pichda Samaj Sangathan, his social media bio revealed. Damodar is known to have a strong presence among the OBC and Dalit voters.
Meanwhile, the ASP (KR) fielded Aazad Deshraj Pabya in the 2023 Vidhan Sabha polls from Datia and the party received only 490 votes, ending a distant sixth in the constituency, which was won by Congress' Rajendra.
Who received how many votes in the bypoll:
Ghanshyam Singh: 66,757 votes
Ashutosh Tiwari: 60,741 votes
Damodar Yadav 'Mandal': 22,527 votes
Why was bypoll in Datia necessitated?
It should be noted that the bypoll in Datia was necessitated after a Delhi court in April this year sentenced Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti to three years' imprisonment in a cheating case, leading to the termination of his assembly membership.
Apart from Congress's Ghanshyam Singh and BJP nominee Ashutosh Tiwari, 19 other candidates also contested the Datia bypoll. Voting was held on July 30, and recorded a 71.44 per cent turnout.
Also Read:
BJP's setback in bypolls: Prashant Kishor wins Bankipur, Cong bags Datia; Manjalpur only consolation
