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The dismissal came on complaint was submitted by BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat, contesting the third Rajya Sabha seat, to the Returning Officer.
Meenakshi Natarajan
In a major setback to the Congress, the nomination of party candidate Meenakshi Natarajan for the Rajya Sabha election from Madhya Pradesh was rejected on Tuesday over allegations that she concealed information about a case in her nomination affidavit.
“Natarajan’s nomination has been rejected by the Returning Officer on the grounds of hiding information about a case,” an Assembly official told PTI.
The objection was raised by BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat, who is contesting the third Rajya Sabha seat. In his complaint to the Returning Officer, Kewat alleged that Natarajan deliberately failed to disclose details of a case registered against her in Telangana.
Three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh are scheduled to go to polls on June 18. Based on its strength in the 230-member Assembly, the BJP is comfortably placed to win two seats, while the Congress was expected to secure the third seat. The BJP had fielded Kewat for the third seat despite lacking the numbers required for victory.
The Congress, however, strongly contested the Returning Officer’s decision.
Madhya Pradesh Congress in-charge Harish Chaudhary maintained that no case had been formally filed against Natarajan and accused the BJP of using such allegations to harass her.
He said Natarajan had only received a show-cause notice from a court and that Election Commission rules do not require candidates to disclose such notices in their affidavits.
“The Election Commission’s instructions are clear. Information has to be provided when a case is registered, not when a notice is issued. Technically, Natarajan’s nomination cannot be rejected,” Chaudhary said.
Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath accused the BJP of trying to “snatch” the Congress seat through undemocratic means.
Calling the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination “unconstitutional and undemocratic”, Nath alleged that the BJP had crossed all limits of political propriety.
“First, they deliberately delayed permission for the flight carrying Congress MLAs. Then they filed objections against Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination. After that, BJP leaders created a ruckus in the Assembly premises. But the Congress is not one to be intimidated by such tactics. The BJP will have to face the consequences,” Nath said in a post on X.
Following the rejection, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal left for the Election Commission’s office and alleged that “democracy has been killed”.
He said that the Congress party will fight this legally as well as politically on the streets tooth-and-nail.
Rejecting Smt. Meenakshi Natarajan ji’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha is a blatant attempt by the BJP to destroy the democratic process in a clandestine manner. The allegation of any error or non-disclosure in her nomination is complete humbug and a desperate attempt to snatch a…— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) June 9, 2026
Meanwhile, BJP leaders celebrated the Returning Officer’s decision.
Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav said, “As you all know, the Congress candidate concealed the information of her criminal background, it should have been declared. But unfortunately, the Congress people concealed. The decision that was taken, I welcome this scrutiny. Now, the Congress should introspect; they were in fear. We welcome the decision.”
State minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said the nomination was rightly rejected because material information had allegedly been concealed.
“We respect the judiciary. The criminal case was deliberately concealed and incorrect information was provided. Justice has prevailed, and our party worker Mahesh Kewat has received the people’s blessings. The BJP has faith in democracy,” Vijayvargiya said.
Another BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister, Rakesh Singh, also defended the decision, claiming that Natarajan’s nomination papers contained incomplete and incorrect information.
“Truth prevailed. Meenakshi Natarajan provided incomplete information. Both sides presented their arguments, but due to serious errors in her nomination form, particularly the alleged concealment of the Telangana case, the Returning Officer rejected the nomination,” Singh said.
Congress Delegation Reaches EC Office
A Congress delegation reached the Election Commission’s office in New Delhi on Tuesday to submit a petition against the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh, but alleged that they were not allowed inside the premises.
Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh expressed his frustration, claiming the delegation was being deliberately prevented from meeting Election Commission officials.
“We have come here to submit a petition. Our candidate has been disqualified. We just want to submit our petition to the Election Commission. Why can’t I sit in the waiting room? I have been a Member of Parliament for over 35 years. I have been waiting here for more than 10 minutes. You are deliberately stopping us. I have never seen anything like this,” Ramesh said.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal also questioned the Election Commission’s response, alleging that the delegation had been denied access despite formally seeking an appointment.
“At 7.25 pm, we submitted a letter to the Election Commission of India seeking an appointment to lodge our complaint. Even after 40 minutes, we have not been allowed to enter. What is happening in this country? Is this a banana republic? We need justice,” Venugopal said.
He added that the party would pursue legal remedies if necessary.
“We will also go to court. Look at what is happening in Madhya Pradesh. Without any valid reason, our candidate’s nomination has been cancelled,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India decided to give an appointment to the delegation of the Congress at 12 noon on Wednesday.
About the Author
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Chief Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
Bhopal, India, India
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