Rajya Sabha Pick Meenakshi Natarajan's Nomination Junked, Congress Protests

The Congress, busy protecting its Madhya Pradesh MLAs from BJP overtures ahead of the Rajya Sabha election, ended up barred from the contest today. The Election Commission rejected the application of Meenakshi Natarajan following complaints that she had not disclosed the details of a case against her in her nomination papers.

The MLAs, who were waiting to take a flight to Bengaluru, meanwhile, got called back when Natarajan's nomination was rejected. Sources said the flight was recalled from the runway.

The Congress's attempts to protest against the Returning officer's move also fell flat when a delegation led by senior party leader KC Venugopal reached the poll office. 

Sources said most officials at Commission had left after 6 pm. Though Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was in the office, the Congress had not sought an appointment, sources said. 

The party claimed that KC Venugopal had sought a 7.30 pm appointment. 

The Commission, however, has accepted a memorandum from the Congress and will seek a report from the Returning Officer, sources said. The officials can meet the party at noon tomorrow. 

Read: Why Rajya Sabha Ticket For Ex MP Has Madhya Pradesh Congress Nervous

At a press conference later in the evening, Natarajan called it the BJP's attempt to manipulate the election.

"It all began when the ruling 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," she said.

Natarajan's nomination was rejected during scrutiny and the Congress cannot field another candidate now since the last date of filing nominations was June 8. The BJP's third candidate is Mahesh Kewat. The complaint was filed by senior BJP leader and Minister in the Mohan Yadav government, Kailash Vijayvargiya. The complaint contended that a case involving Natarajan is pending before a Telangana court and was not disclosed in her nomination affidavit. 

Read: Meenakshi Natarajan's Nomination Scrapped, Congress Explores Legal Options

"They are clearly attempting to manipulate the Rajya Sabha election just as they previously subverted 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," she added.

Following the poll body's move, the Congress had broken out in vehement protests. 

"We had to sit on dharna just to submit our memorandum to EC," Bhupesh Baghel said.

"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.  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," read a post from KC Venugopal.

"The BJP is engaged in breaking all norms of political decency to snatch the Congress seat. First, they deliberately denied permission for the flight carrying Congress MLAs to take off for a long time. Second, they maliciously filed an objection against the nomination of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan. And then, BJP leaders created a ruckus in the assembly premises," read a post from former Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

Congress's Madhya Pradesh in-charge, Harish Chaudhary, declared that no case had been filed against Natarajan and the BJP was bringing up such allegations only to harass her. Natarajan had received a show-cause notice from the court, and it was not necessary to mention it in the affidavit, since information needs to be provided only when a police case is filed, he said.

Madhya Pradesh Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar at the Congress press conference.

Welcoming the Returning Officer's order, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said the Congress candidate's nomination paper has been rejected as she failed to mention all details about criminal case pending against her. 

"Possibly the Congress leaders intentionally concealed the details of the criminal matter. They knew their candidate wouldn't be elected, so they intentionally omitted the details in the nomination papers," he said. 

"What has happened with the Congress candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls today resembles what happened to the Congress in 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Indore seat, where party candidate Akshay Kanti Bam had opted out of the poll race after filing the nomination papers," he added.

In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, a Rajya Sabha candidate needs 58 votes to win. The BJP, with around 165 MLAs, can comfortably elect its two nominees -- Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agarwal -- using 116 votes. That still leaves it with roughly 47 to 49 surplus votes. 

The Congress has 65 MLAs, which was enough strength to send Meenakshi Natarajan to the Upper House. 
But the ongoing disqualification proceedings against Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre and the voting status of certain legislators had reduced the margin of comfort. Which is why the party was unwilling to take chances and was about to pack off the MLAs to Congress-ruled Karnataka.

Rajya Sabha Polls

Elections are being held for 24 Rajya Sabha seats, along with by-elections for three others. 

The Congress stands to gain two seats in Karnataka and one in Tamil Nadu, while facing a loss of one seat in Gujarat. The party had hoped to secure one seat each from Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, but these latest developments deal a significant blow to those prospects.

The party also faces a major challenge in Jharkhand. 

There, prominent industrialist Parimal Nathwani has filed his nomination as an Independent candidate with the support of the NDA, challenging the official candidate, Pranav Jha. Although the ruling JMM alliance has the numbers to ensure the victory of both its candidates, the state has a history of cross-voting. 

To win, Nathwani needs the votes of four additional MLAs beyond the 24 from the NDA. In this scenario, the Congress faces the challenge of keeping its camp intact in Jharkhand. 

It is reported that the Congress has also challenged Parimal Nathwani's nomination papers; the Commission has yet to make a decision on this matter.