A legal challenge has been filed in the Madhya Pradesh High Court against Congress MLA Ghanshyam Singh’s election from the Datia Assembly constituency, with the petitioner alleging that an old criminal case was not mentioned in his election affidavit.
The petition has been filed by BJP leader and advocate Deepak Belpatri. The matter is expected to come up before the High Court next week. Belpatri has asked the court to declare Singh’s election invalid, alleging that relevant information about a criminal case registered in 1991 was missing from the affidavit filed for the July 2026 bypoll.
What is the 1991 case mentioned in the petition?
According to the petition, the disputed case dates back around 35 years. It relates to a protest and road blockade held in Datia following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.
The petitioner claims police registered an FIR against 22 people in connection with the incident, and Singh was among those named.
Belpatri has alleged that Singh mentioned two criminal cases from Datia Kotwali police station in his election affidavit but did not disclose the 1991 case. The petition argues that this alleged omission is a reason to set aside his election.
Ghanshyam Singh says he was not officially informed
Singh has responded to the allegations by saying that the case referred to in the petition is approximately 35 years old.
Speaking to reporters in Datia, the Congress MLA said he was not fully aware of the petition and had not received any official communication from either the police or the court regarding it. He described the move as a conspiracy by political opponents and said he would not be intimidated.
The allegations made in the petition are yet to be adjudicated by the court.
Ghanshyam Singh won Datia bypoll
The legal challenge comes shortly after Singh won the Datia Assembly bypoll. Officially reported election figures show Singh received 66,757 votes, while BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari polled 60,741 votes, giving the Congress candidate a victory margin of 6,016 votes.
Voting for the bypoll took place on July 30, with turnout reported at 71.44 per cent. The election was necessitated after the membership of former Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti ended following his conviction in a fraud case.
Singh contested the bypoll against 19 other candidates. The BJP fielded Ashutosh Tiwari, while Damodar Singh Yadav contested from the Azad Samaj Party.
What happens next?
The Madhya Pradesh High Court is expected to take up the petition next week. The court will consider the allegations raised by the petitioner and the response from the concerned parties before deciding how the case should proceed.
For now, the petition is only a legal challenge to Singh’s election and does not itself cancel his victory. Any decision regarding the validity of the election will depend on the court proceedings.
