Congress leaders on Tuesday met Election Commission officials in New Delhi, urging them to overturn the rejection of former MP Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination for the Rajya Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh. The party said the decision was “anti-democratic” and sought an immediate review.
Elections are scheduled on June 18 for 26 Rajya Sabha vacancies across the country, including three seats from Madhya Pradesh. In the 230-member state Assembly, 58 votes are needed to elect one Rajya Sabha member; the BJP has 164 MLAs, while the Congress has 64.
The Congress had fielded Natarajan as its candidate, while the BJP announced Mahesh Kevat, chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare Board, as its candidate for the third seat. With the BJP needing only eight additional votes beyond its strength to secure the third seat, the contest drew attention.
Natarajan’s nomination was rejected by the returning officer, following a complaint by BJP candidate Mahesh Kevat alleging that she did not disclose a case pending in Telangana. The rejection is seen as improving the BJP’s prospects for the third seat.
After meeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other commissioners, senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi argued that under the Representation of the People Act, only cases involving charges or those that can attract sentences of more than two years must be declared. He said no criminal case had been formally registered against Natarajan and that a court notice based on a private complaint did not require disclosure, calling the returning officer’s order unlawful and urging the EC to cancel it using its administrative powers.
