Cong’s MP Rajya Sabha candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination rejected
BJP alleges criminal case pending against Natarajan in Telangana, which she failed to mention in affidavit, but Congress claims it was only a show-cause notice
The Congress’s Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh, Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination was rejected on Tuesday (June 9) on charges of concealing information about a case in the affidavit.
The rejection by the Returning Officer came on a complaint submitted by BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat, who is contesting the third Rajya Sabha seat. He alleged that Natarajan deliberately hid information about a case filed against her in Telangana.
BJP’s claim
Sanket Gupta, the lawyer representing Kewat, told reporters that a criminal case is pending against Natarajan in a Telangana court and is not mentioned in the affidavit.
“This information was deliberately concealed. According to Supreme Court guidelines, you are required to provide this information in the affidavit. Kewat filed an objection to Natarajan’s candidacy under this provision,” he added.
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He claimed several other deficiencies were found in the nomination as well.
Congress’s counter-claim
However, the Congress’s Madhya Pradesh in-charge, Harish Chaudhary, claimed that no case had been filed against Natarajan and that the BJP was bringing up such cases to harass her.
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.
BJP trying to manipulate polls: Natarajan
Natarajan told the media, “It all began when the BJP fielded a third candidate despite lacking the requisite numerical strength. It became evident that they were engaging in politics designed to trample upon the Constitution and democracy...They are clearly attempting to manipulate the Rajya Sabha election just as they previously subverted the elections in Madhya Pradesh...
“This is not merely about a Rajya Sabha seat or a specific candidate; it is about the broader struggle for the idea of India and democracy that our leader, Rahul Gandhi, is waging a critical battle for our nation today. The question is whether democracy will prevail, whether India’s federal structure will endure, and whether the attempt to impose a one-party system and dictatorship will be thwarted...”
‘Vote chori,’ says Venugopal
KC Venugopal, the General Secretary (Organisation) of the Congress, wrote on X that rejecting Natarajan’s nomination was “a blatant attempt by the BJP to destroy the democratic process in a clandestine manner”.
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“The allegation of any error or non-disclosure in her nomination is complete humbug and a desperate attempt to snatch a seat from the INC. They stooped so low as to reject her nomination when they realised that their dirty tricks to compromise our INC MLAs is going to fail,” he added.
“This shows the BJP’s hollow commitment to the Constitution and democracy. At every step of the way, they are hell-bent on Vote Chori - one way or another,” he wrote.
He asserted that the Congress “will not take this daylight robbery of democracy lying down, and will fight this legally as well as politically on the streets tooth-and-nail”.
All three seats to BJP?
Voting for the three Rajya Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh will be held on June 18. With 164 MLAs in the 230-member Assembly, the BJP is comfortably placed to win two seats outright, while still holding 48 surplus votes. Securing the third seat, however, would have required cross-voting or outside support.
The Congress, on the other hand, has 63 MLAs, but with two legislators—Rajendra Bharti and Mukesh Malhotra—barred from voting, its effective strength is reduced to 61. This made the battle for the third seat politically significant.
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On Tuesday, the Madhya Pradesh Congress accused the BJP of trying to lure away its legislators and prepared to move its MLAs to Karnataka, a Congress-ruled state, to prevent cross-voting. But the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination has dampened the party’s plans. A special flight arranged to transport the MLAs was halted before departure, and the legislators were recalled, as the contest for the third seat had effectively swung in the BJP’s favour.
(With agency inputs)