Congress party on Monday won Datia assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh, the Election Commission of India said.

The bypoll 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.

The counting process began at 8 am at the Polytechnic College under tight security, starting with postal ballots before moving on to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

The Congress fielded Ghanshyam Singh from the seat while the BJP nominated Ashutosh Tiwari. Nineteen other candidates also contested the bypoll.

Voting for the Datia bypoll was held on July 30, and recorded 71.44 per cent turnout.

Bharti had defeated BJP leader and former state home minister Narottam Mishra by over 7,700 votes in the 2023 assembly elections.

According to analysts, the closely watched result could significantly shape the political standing of both the ruling BJP and Opposition Congress in the state ahead of the 2028 assembly elections.

The by-election was held on July 30, recording a voter turnout of 71.44 per cent.

Political analyst and author Rasheed Kidwai said that the Datia contest had become a prestige battle for both the BJP and the Congress because it was held in the backdrop of students' unrest and Pradhan's resignation.

"If the result does not go in the BJP's favour, it could trigger wider political repercussions at the national level," Kidwai told PTI.

Bypolls were also held in the Manjalpur assembly constituency in Gujarat and Bankipur in Bihar, the latter vacated after BJP national president Nitin Nabin resigned as MLA.

Kidwai said that the Datia contest was equally crucial for the Congress, as the Opposition party is seeking to retain the seat it won in the 2023 assembly elections.

"With the win, the Congress party will try to project the verdict as an expression of youth anger and claim that the political tide has started to turn against the BJP," he said.

"If the BJP loses, Mishra's role and political future are likely to come under scrutiny," he said.

Violence erupted in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district on 11 July, as supporters of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narottam Mishra clashed with police and blocked a national highway after the former minister was denied a ticket for the July 30 assembly byelection, news agency PTI reported.

The nearly 12-hour blockade on NH-44 by over 3,000 protesters left the Datia superintendent of police and several cops injured before security forces cleared the highway and arrested some agitators, officials said.

Former Barkatullah University vice-chancellor Kamalakar Singh said the verdict would also be viewed in the context of local issues, the recent 'Gen Z' movement and public sentiment following the alleged Ram Temple donation controversy.

He said while a BJP victory would have been interpreted as an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the state government's policies. But, a Congress win signals that it was strengthening its organisational base, he said.

Singh also pointed out that defeats for the BJP in the Bankipur (Bihar) and Datia (MP) bypolls could have wider political ramifications for the ruling party at both the Centre and in the states.

(With agency inputs)