Bhopal: Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination from Madhya Pradesh was rejected on Tuesday for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls. According to reports, Natarajan’s nomination was cancelled after election authorities alleged that she had concealed information in the affidavit submitted along with the nomination papers. For the unversed, Natarajan is considered a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha.
Natarajan was accused of hiding information about a case. “Natarajan’s nomination has been rejected by the Returning Officer on the grounds of hiding information about a case,” an MP Assembly official told PTI.
Notably, a complaint was submitted by BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat, contesting the third Rajya Sabha seat, to the Returning Officer alleging that Natarajan deliberately hid information about a case filed against her in Telangana, reported the news agency.
As per the BJP leader’s lawyer, Sanket Gupta, a criminal case is pending against Natarajan in a Telangana court and is not mentioned in the affidavit. He said the Returning Officer has rejected her nomination on this basis.
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“This information has been deliberately concealed. According to Supreme Court guidelines, you are required to provide this information in the affidavit. Kewat had filed an objection to Natarajan’s candidacy under this same provision,” he added, quoted by the news agency.
Gupta further claimed that other deficiencies were found in the nomination. Meanwhile, Congress’s Madhya Pradesh in-charge, Harish Chaudhary denied these charges. He said Natarajan had received a show-cause notice from the court, and it was not necessary to mention it in the affidavit.
He said the Election Commission’s instructions are clear that information must be provided in the nomination when a case is filed, not upon receiving a notice. “Technically, Natarajan’s nomination cannot be rejected,” Chaudhary added.
For the unversed, Natrajan is the Congress’s Telangana in-charge and a former Lok Sabha MP from Mandsaur from 2009 to 2014.
Congress Protests:
After Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination was cancelled, Congress leaders staged sit-in protest out the Election Commission’s office in Bhopal.
“Democracy cannot survive when constitutional institutions are reduced to instruments of political convenience. The rejection of Congress Rajya Sabha candidate Meenakshi Natarajan ji’s nomination from Madhya Pradesh is not just a procedural decision; it raises serious questions about the fairness of our democratic institutions. When a Congress delegation approached the Election Commission to challenge this decision, officials refused to even meet them, forcing the delegation to stage a sit-in outside its office,” the Congress said in its X post.
Congress Leaders’ Reaction:
Sachin Pilot:
Pilot claimed that Natarajan’s nomination was cancelled without any grounds. “In a democracy, if we do not come here (to the Election Commission), where else would we go?…”
“When asked whether the party would approach the courts, he added, “We will make a decision based on what the Election Commission says tomorrow, but this is a blatant murder of democracy, and it is being done deliberately. The Election Commission must intervene, and they will have to do so,” he told reporters, as quoted by ANI.
Bhupesh Baghel:
Baghel targeted the Election Commission over the cancellation of Narajan’s nomination. “The credibility of the Election Commission has been shattered; the Returning Officer (RO) gave us a time of 5:30 PM, yet the Election Commission office closes at 5:30 PM. If we are dissatisfied with the RO’s decision, where are we supposed to submit an appeal? To the Election Commission, but it shuts at 5:30 PM. We wanted to meet someone, but there was no one available. We had to stage a sit-in protest just to submit our application, and only then was it accepted. We will proceed after seeking legal advice,” he told reports.
KC Venugopal:
Venugopal threatened to go to the Cout, if the Election Commission does not respond. “At 7.25 PM, we have given a letter to the Election Commission of India for seeking an appointment with the Election Commission for giving a complaint. After 40 minutes, the Election Commission is not allowing us to go. What is happening in this country? Is this a banana republic? We need justice… We will go to the court as well… See what is happening in Madhya Pradesh. Without any reason, they have cancelled the nomination,” he told reporters.
BJP’s Reaction:
Reacting to the development, MP Minister Rakesh Singh told reporters that truth has prevailed.
“The information provided by Meenakshi Natrajan was incomplete. The form was incomplete. She had given wrong information. Both sides presented their arguments, but due to serious errors in her form, specifically the deliberate concealment of the case registered in Telangana, the Returning Officer rejected the nomination. Thus, it can be said that truth prevailed,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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