ElectionNews – Congress Challenges Rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha Nomination

ElectionNews –  The Congress party has strongly objected to the rejection of its Rajya Sabha candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination papers in Madhya Pradesh, describing the move as legally questionable and politically significant. The issue has triggered a fresh confrontation between the opposition party and election authorities ahead of the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.

Congress Raises Concerns Over Decision

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh criticized the decision on Wednesday while addressing journalists in Bhopal. He argued that the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination was not in accordance with constitutional principles and indicated that the party would pursue both legal remedies and political action.

According to Singh, the decision reflected an unfair approach by the Returning Officer. He maintained that the party would challenge the ruling through all available democratic and legal channels.

Nomination Rejected After Affidavit Scrutiny

Election officials rejected Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination on Tuesday after identifying discrepancies related to information submitted in her affidavit. The development came during the scrutiny process conducted as part of the Rajya Sabha election procedure.

The Congress leadership has disputed the grounds on which the nomination was rejected and insists that the alleged issues do not justify such a step under election laws.

Party Leaders Defend Natarajan

Congress MLA Jaivardhan Singh also came forward in support of Natarajan, stating that there was no criminal case pending against her. He explained that the matter being cited by authorities originated in 2017 and involved only a non-cognisable notice.

According to him, such notices are administrative in nature and cannot be treated as criminal proceedings. He further argued that the incident occurred during a period when Natarajan was not responsible for the political activities being referred to in the case. For this reason, he said, the rejection lacked legal merit.

Congress Delegation Meets Election Commission

In response to the controversy, a high-level Congress delegation met officials of the Election Commission of India. The delegation included KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Vivek Tankha, Digvijaya Singh, Bhupesh Baghel and Meenakshi Natarajan.

Party leaders reportedly presented their objections and sought a review of the decision, arguing that the nomination had been rejected on incorrect legal grounds.

Legal Arguments Presented Before ECI

Senior advocate and Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi led the party’s legal arguments after the meeting with the Election Commission. He stated that the Returning Officer’s order was based on an inaccurate interpretation of the law and could not be sustained legally.

Singhvi said the Congress delegation had explained in detail why it believed the order was fundamentally flawed. He argued that the relevant legal provisions had been misunderstood during the scrutiny process.

Representation of the People Act Cited

While outlining the party’s position, Singhvi referred to Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act. He stated that candidates are required to disclose only those criminal matters in which charges have been formally framed by a competent court and where the alleged offence carries a punishment exceeding two years.

According to the Congress leadership, the circumstances cited against Natarajan do not meet these legal conditions, making the rejection unjustified.

Rajya Sabha Polling Scheduled for June 18

The controversy comes as preparations continue for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh. The Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated Tarun Chugh, Rajneesh Agarwal and Mahesh Kewat for the three seats that are going to polls.

Voting for the Rajya Sabha elections is scheduled to take place on June 18, with political attention now focused on the outcome of the dispute surrounding Natarajan’s candidature and any further action that may follow.