Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 9: In a major jolt to the Congress, the nomination of its candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh Meenakshi Natarajan was on Tuesday rejected in scrutiny by the returning officer for allegedly not disclosing a pending case in Telangana, even as the party was making moves to shift its MLAs to Bengaluru fearing poaching by the ruling BJP.
The returning officer had issued a notice to Ms Natarajan based on an objection raised by BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat, Advocate Sanket Gupta, representing the BJP, said. The Returning Officer’s decision came after hearing arguments from both sides. The Congress is likely to move court regarding the rejection.
Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Ministers Rakesh Singh and Kailash Vijayvargiya, former state BJP president V.D. Sharma, candidate Mahesh Kewat and multiple MLAs and leaders were present at the Assembly House during the proceedings and celebrated after Ms Natarajan’s nomination was cancelled. With the rejection of Ms Natarajan’s nomination, the BJP will be declared elected on all the three seats in MP unopposed.
Mr Singh said, “She had deliberately hidden this case in the information provided by her. The form was incomplete. She had given wrong details. On all those issues, a proper opportunity was given and both sides put forth their arguments. But since, there were serious errors in her form and the case lodged in Telangana had been hidden deliberately. So on this basis, the returning officer rejected her form.”
Congress Rajya Sabha MP and senior lawyer Vivek Tankha said no criminal case was registered against Ms Natarajan and that only a notice was issued and that she had responded to it. “Confusion is being spread regarding Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination. No criminal case has been registered. Only a notice has been received stating why proceedings for 10 crore compensation should not be initiated against her and other people. Meenakshi ji’s lawyer has responded to this notice. No FIR has been filed,” Mr Tankha said on X.
Congress’s Madhya Pradesh in-charge, Harish Chaudhary claimed that no case had been filed against Ms Natarajan and that the BJP was bringing up such cases to harass her. He said Ms Natarajan had received only a show-cause notice from the court, and it was not necessary to mention it in the affidavit.
He said the Election Commission of India’s instructions are clear that information must be provided in the nomination when a case is filed, not upon receiving a notice. “Technically, Natarajan’s nomination cannot be rejected,” Mr Chaudhary added.
According to reports, Natarajan had withheld information regarding a pending criminal case in a Hyderabad court in her nomination papers. The timeline of events revealed by the obtained court documents has sent shockwaves through the Congress camp.
Chronology of events: A timeline
- May 11, 2025 (Date of the alleged offense): The case was registered based on a complaint filed by the complainant, A. Srilatha.
- August 20, 2025 (Complaint filed): Srilatha filed a formal complaint (Complaint No. of 2025) against Meenakshi Natarajan (Accused No. 4) and others in the court of the ‘Fourth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’ in Hyderabad. The complaint levelled charges against Natarajan under Sections 356, 61, 45, 46, 351(2), 3(5), and 79 of the BNS Act.
- September 17, 2025 (Judicial summons issued):Taking the gravity of the matter into account, the court issued a ‘Notice to Respondent’ to Meenakshi Natarajan. The summons strictly directed her to appear before the court in person and file her response.
- October 24, 2025 (Natarajan’s response):Counsel for Meenakshi Natarajan submitted a counter-affidavit to the court. In this response, she asserted her innocence, characterized the entire complaint as being motivated by “political vendetta,” and sought its dismissal.
- November 17, 2025 (Date of hearing):The court did not dismiss the case; instead, it initiated the hearing process, which remains ongoing.
With the Congress candidate out of the fray, the BJP’s third candidate Mahesh Kewat will be declared elected unopposed after the last day of withdrawal. The BJP’s two other official candidates declared earlier, the party national general secretary Tarun Chugh and State unit secretary Rajneesh Agrawal, will also get elected unopposed, marking a significant political victory for the BJP and a major blow to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh.
Mahesh Kewat is a seasoned party functionary with a long organisational background in the BJP. He has previously served as District Vice President in Tikamgarh, District Minister in Tikamgarh, and has also been associated with the party’s national executive committee.
The BJP was comfortably positioned to win two Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh based on its strength in the 230-member Assembly falling short by 10 votes for the third seat while the Congress was expected to secure one seat. A candidate requires 58 first-preference votes to be elected and the Congress has 64 members including two ineligible to vote.
