Would prefer working without any post, says BJP’s Narottam Mishra

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Madhya Pradesh Minister Narottam Mishra on Friday called the Datia bypoll defeat a “personal loss” while expressing his willingness to continue working for the party without holding any specific post.

In an exclusive interaction with IANS, Mishra asserted that there was “no mistake” in picking party leader Ashutosh Tiwari as BJP’s Datia bypoll candidate.

“I think the candidate selection was right because Ashutosh is a dedicated party worker. He is a loyal worker who has devoted most of his life to the party and the country,” he said.

BJP candidate Tiwari lost the Datia Assembly bypoll to Congress’ Ghanshyam Singh by 6,016 votes.

Terming the Datia bypoll result as “saddening”, Narottam Mishra said: “Apart from the party’s defeat, it is a personal loss for me.”

Responding to a question on whether the students’ and farmers’ protests might have played a role in BJP’s defeat in the Datia bypoll, he said: “Whether it was the Gen-Z movement or the farmers’ protest, we don’t think (it impacted the bypoll). However, it is a subject that requires research. We will look into it in depth and find out about both aspects, the Gen-Z movement as well as the farmers’ protest.”

When asked where he sees himself in the party organisation now, the BJP leader said: “As far as my role is concerned, I would prefer not to be given any post, but to be given work for the party, just as the party has been assigning me work so far.”

“After I lost the election, I was made the convenor of the state joining team. When the Maharashtra elections came, I was given work there; when the Delhi elections came, I was given work there; and when the Bihar elections came, I was given work there as well. I want the party to continue giving me such responsibilities. The party has given me a lot. It kept me as an MLA for 30 years and as a minister for 15 years,” Mishra said while adding that he is grateful to the BJP’s leadership for all that he has received.

–IANS

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