The BJP secured three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh unopposed after the nomination of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan was rejected. The returning officer cited incomplete disclosure of a pending court case in her affidavit. The Supreme Court declined to halt the election process.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday won three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh unopposed after the nomination papers of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan were rejected. Returning officer Arvind Sharma handed election certificates to BJP candidates Rajneesh Agrawal, Tarun Chugh, and Mahesh Kevat after the withdrawal deadline passed with no other candidates in the fray.
Key Points
- BJP candidates Rajneesh Agrawal, Tarun Chugh, and Mahesh Kevat elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh.
- Congress nominee Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination rejected due to incomplete disclosure of a pending court case in her election affidavit.
- Supreme Court agreed to hear Natarajan's petition but declined to halt the election process.
- Congress alleges Election Commission acted as a 'rubber stamp' for BJP; BJP credits grassroots focus for candidate elevation.
The walkover materialised after Natarajan's nomination was rejected on Tuesday following an objection by BJP leaders, including Kevat, who alleged she had concealed details of a pending case in a Hyderabad court. The returning officer upheld the objection, ruling that she had filed an incomplete form and failed to disclose a court summons issued in connection with a rape case filed against a Congress leader in Telangana in 2022.
The returning officer's decision came hours after the Supreme Court agreed to hear Natarajan's petition challenging the rejection but declined to halt the electoral process. Senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi argued, “My nomination has been rejected even though there is no cognisance taken by the court. How can they do this?” The bench, however, cited the law laid down in Election Commission of India Vs Ashok Kumar (2000), stating courts should ordinarily refrain from intervening once the electoral process has commenced.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Umang Singhar accused Election Commission officers of acting as a “rubber stamp” for the BJP. “If you can validate a BJP candidate in Jharkhand, why didn’t you make such a decision in Meenakshi Natarajan’s case? This makes it clear that the Election Commission is acting as a rubber stamp for the BJP. The returning officer blatantly flouted the rules, ignoring Supreme Court guidelines,” Singhar said. In contrast, Mahesh Kevat credited the BJP’s grassroots focus for his elevation, stating, “It can happen only in the BJP that a small worker from Bundelkhand like me becomes a Rajya Sabha MP.”