RS Polls: MP Cong Nominee Meenakshi Natarajan’s Papers Rejected

Bhopal: The upcoming elections to three Rajya Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh took a dramatic turn on Tuesday with the nomination of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan being rejected on charges of concealing information about a case in the affidavit."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.

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.

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.

He said the Returning Officer has rejected her nomination on this basis.

"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.

He claimed several other deficiencies were found in the nomination.

Congress's Madhya Pradesh in-charge, Harish Chaudhary, claimed that no case had been filed against Natarajan and that the BJP is 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

Revanth slams EC's rejection of RS nomination

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday strongly condemned the rejection of the Rajya Sabha nomination of Congress candidate and AICC Telangana in‑charge Meenakshi Natarajan in Madhya Pradesh, alleging that the BJP had conspired to prevent her election through undemocratic means.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister described the development as a direct assault on democracy and accused the BJP of resorting to what he termed “Seat Chori” after allegedly indulging in “Vote Chori” and “SIR”. He said the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination was the result of a BJP conspiracy in Madhya Pradesh. Revanth Reddy asserted that there were no criminal cases against her in Telangana and questioned the grounds on which her nomination had been rejected.

He further alleged that senior Congress leaders led by Jairam Ramesh were prevented from meeting Election Commission officials to raise concerns. He claimed that the BJP, unable to secure victory through democratic means, had resorted to a conspiracy that resulted in the rejection of Natarajan’s papers.

“This is an assault on democracy. People’s voices are being stifled. This is a dark day for Indian democracy and needs to be condemned by all citizens,” Revanth Reddy said. He maintained that the rejection amounted to suppressing the voice of the people and undermining democratic institutions.

The Chief Minister said the Congress would not remain silent and would pursue all legal options to secure justice. He announced that the party would approach the courts and continue its fight until justice was delivered. “We will all fight for justice,” he said.

Revanth Reddy called upon citizens across the country to condemn the incident, describing it as a dark chapter in Indian democracy and warning that such actions posed a serious threat to democratic values and electoral processes.