BHOPAL: The Congress on Monday retained the Datia assembly seat, prevailing in what was billed as a high-stakes fight following the disqualification of sitting MLA Rajendra Bharti following his conviction in a bank fraud case and the BJP’s big call not to give bypoll ticket to former six-time MLA and state home minister Narottam Mishra.In what turned out to be a tight contest as the votes were counted, Congress nominee Ghanshyam Singh defeated BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes. The outcome followed a high-voltage campaign, which saw both parties deploy their heavyweights to canvas for their candidates, and could potentially reset political equations going into the 2028 assembly elections.The tally at the end of the counting rounds saw Singh surge to victory with 66,757 votes against Tiwari’s 60,741, while Damodar Yadav, fielded by little known Azad Samaj Party, emerged as a significant electoral player finishing third in a triangular contest with 22,527 votes.The twists and turns during the vote count were itself a reflection of how close the contest was.The BJP led after the opening round, but the Congress caught up and overtook its rival in the third round and never looked back, steadily widening the gap through the middle rounds before sealing victory. The trends appeared to validate Congress’ low-profile but intensive organisational strategy under state president Jitu Patwari, who spent days in the constituency focusing on booth management, door-to-door outreach and direct voter engagement instead of relying only on large public rallies.The BJP, on the other hand, deployed virtually its entire top leadership, including CM Yadav, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and several senior leaders, but failed to prevent the seat from slipping away.Both parties also grappled with allegations of internal sabotage. The Congress suspended Bharti on the eve of counting over allegations of anti-party activities, while senior leader Awdhesh Nayak’s initial absence from campaigning had fuelled speculation of his return to BJP before he eventually joined the campaign.The BJP, too, faced discontent after Mishra was denied a ticket, with some supporters protesting and resorting to road blockades before the campaign settled down.Patwari termed the victory a validation of the party’s collective effort. “The win was an outcome of the efforts put in at organisational levels,” he told TOI. The contest was too tight to call for the better part of the counting day, with no clear winner emerging till the final round.