Overall, it appears that the Congress lost Dalit votes to the ASP but gained Upper Caste votes from the BJP. Like Bankipur in Bihar, BJP lost Datia due to a sizable chunk of its Savarna votebank switching sides or merely staying away from voting. This isn’t a rebellion yet, but it is a warning.
Within MP, this is now the BJP’s second straight loss in the Gwalior-Chambal region. In November 2024, it lost the bypoll to the Vijaypur seat in Sheopur district. Congress turncoat to the BJP and minister in Mohan Yadav’s government, Ramnivas Rawat was defeated by Mukesh Malhotra, a turncoat from the BJP to the Congress.
Former BJP minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia, who also hails from the Gwalior-Chambal region, said on X that there is a “need for introspection” in the party, after the Datia bypoll defeat.
For the Congress too, the rise of ASP is a warning signal. The ASP is on its way to occupying the space being left by a weakening BSP. The Congress had hoped to do that especially under Mallikarjun Kharge as party president.
