The Congress has approached the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the Returning Officer to reject the Rajya Sabha nomination of senior party leader Meenakshi Natarajan from Madhya Pradesh. The party is expected to mention the matter before a vacation bench on Thursday and seek an urgent hearing.
Natarajan’s nomination was rejected on the grounds that she had allegedly failed to disclose details of a court complaint in Telangana in her election affidavit.
However, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the case cited by the Returning Officer does not legally exist since the competent court has not yet taken cognizance of the complaint.
Adding weight to the Congress’s contention, the Telangana Police stated that no criminal case is pending against Natarajan in the state. According to the police, the only related record they could trace was FIR No. 209/2022, in which Natarajan’s name does not appear as an accused. THE WEEK has accessed copies of both the private complaint and the FIR.
The Returning Officer’s decision followed a complaint filed by BJP leader Mahesh Kewat, who alleged Natarajan had concealed details of a case registered against her in Telangana. However, neither Kewat nor the BJP has publicly produced any document or FIR naming Natarajan as an accused.
Congress alleges political conspiracy
In Madhya Pradesh, Congress leaders and MLAs staged a hunger strike in protest, describing the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination as a politically motivated move orchestrated under pressure from the BJP-led government.
The controversy comes at a critical juncture for the Congress, which is already grappling with concerns over potential cross-voting ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections. The party has shifted its MLAs to Bengaluru after the BJP unexpectedly fielded a third candidate despite having sufficient numbers to comfortably secure only two of the three seats at stake.
The Rajya Sabha election, scheduled for June 18, will fill three seats from Madhya Pradesh. Each candidate requires 58 first-preference votes to secure victory.
In the 230-member Assembly, the Congress holds 64 MLAs. The BJP commands a dominant strength of 164 legislators, placing it comfortably in a position to win two seats. The BJP’s decision to field a third candidate has, however, intensified speculation about possible cross-voting, prompting the Congress to take measures to keep its legislative ranks united.
