Following his nomination as the Congress candidate for the upcoming by-election to the Datia Assembly Constituency, Ghanshyam Singh hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), emphasising that his primary focus will be to eliminate corruption and mend the “deteriorated social fabric” in the region.
Speaking to ANI, Singh acknowledged that Narottam Mishra could be a big challenge for him but the present BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari is “nothing”.
“There is a lot of difference. He (Narottam) was a very big challenge. This one is nothing. He will get as many votes as possible based on the party’s strength, the government’s strength, and the administration’s strength. He will get some good votes when all these forces are applied. The administration will be used, the government will be used, money will be distributed,” he said.
“The people in the villages wouldn’t even have heard his (Ashutosh) name. He has never even gone to the villages in the Datia assembly constituency,” Ghanshyam Singh said.
Further, the Congress leader stressed the need for transparency so that the benefits of developmental works reach the general public effectively.
“The most important thing is to end corruption so that the public can fully benefit from the development work that has been done,” Singh said.
Expressing concern over the rising political hostility in the constituency, Singh lamented the erosion of harmony among the public, stating that political rivalries should not turn into personal animosity.
“The social fabric has deteriorated, political animosity has increased, and people treat each other as enemies. An opponent is an opponent, not an enemy,” the Congress candidate remarked.
Earlier on July 11, the Congress announced Ghanshyam Singh as its candidate for the upcoming by-election to the Datia Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh.
Singh will be up against BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari in the high-stake battle.
Meanwhile, large-scale protests by Narottam Mishra supporters turned violent in Datia, leaving eight police personnel injured and disrupting traffic across four districts after demonstrators blocked National Highway-44 for nearly 11 hours.
The supporters held protest after Mishra was denied a ticket for the bypoll.
The Datia seat became vacant due to the disqualification of Rajendra Bharti on April 2, 2026.
The notification cited that 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 of India.