Bhopal, Nov 30 (IANS): Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Saturday that he was not "invited" to campaign for Vijaypur polls, where BJP candidate and former minister Ramniwas Rawat lost to Congress' Mukesh Malhotra.

Union Minister Scindia made the remark responding to his absence from campaigning in Vijaypur, the Assembly constituency falling under his home turf Gwalior-Chambal region.

"If I had been called, I would have gone there," he responded when media persons asked about his absence from campaigning in Vijaypur bypolls.

Union Minister Scindia was one of the 40-star campaigners for Vijaypur and Budhni bypolls.

However, he also said that the margin of defeat in the Vijaypur bypoll has been reduced as compared to Assembly elections in November 2023. BJP lost the Vijaypur bypolls by 7,000 votes.

"Party's loss in Vijaypur bypolls need to be introspected. However, the margin of defeat this time has reduced against the previous election, which means, BJP's votes have increased," Union Minister Scindia added.

Notably, Rawat had contested the previous Assembly election on Congress' symbol and had won Vijaypur seat with a margin of more than 17,000 votes. However, later he resigned from the party and state Assembly and joined the BJP.

After defeat in Vijaypur bypolls, Rawat alleged that he was "sabotaged" by some senior BJP leaders.

He had also claimed that core BJP workers were "misleaded".

"Some people felt that their influence (in BJP) would diminish if I won the by-elections. I was not defeated by the people in the Assembly constituency. I was defeated due to the sabotage," Rawat had said.

Rawat's statement had sparked political controversy within the BJP. State BJP unit chief V. D. Sharma held a closed-door meeting at party headquarters to control the situation.