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The deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended at 3 pm on Thursday, clearing the way for all three BJP candidates to be declared elected unopposed.
Meenakshi Natarajan’s disqualification proved decisive, enabling the BJP to secure all three seats without a contest.
Three BJP candidates from Madhya Pradesh were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, days after Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination was rejected by the Returning Officer.
Polling for three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh was scheduled for June 18. Given the BJP’s strength in the 230-member state Assembly, the election of Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agrawal was virtually assured. However, the party also fielded Mahesh Kewat against Natarajan for the third seat.
The deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended at 3 pm on Thursday, clearing the way for all three BJP candidates to be declared elected unopposed.
Natarajan’s disqualification proved decisive, enabling the BJP to secure all three seats without a contest.
Kewat had challenged Natarajan’s nomination before the Returning Officer, alleging that she failed to disclose details of a criminal case registered against her in Telangana in her nomination papers.
Meenakshi Natarajan Moves SC
The Supreme Court on Friday will hear Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan’s plea challenging the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination papers.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi today mentioned the matter before a bench of Justices PK Mishra and Atul S. Chandurkar, describing it as a genuinely urgent case and seeking either an early listing or a one-line interim order.
Taking note of the submissions, the Supreme Court listed the matter for hearing on June 12.
Arguing that the Returning Officer wrongly rejected Natarajan’s nomination for allegedly failing to disclose a pending criminal case, Singhvi submitted, “Only a summons was issued (against her), not even a cognisance of the case. The Returning Officer disqualifies her.”
The plea contends that the Returning Officer acted illegally, arbitrarily and with bias, and seeks the immediate setting aside of the decision rejecting her nomination papers.
‘Betrayal Of Democracy’: Congress
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said the move to issue election certificates to all three BJP Rajya Sabha candidates from Madhya Pradesh is “betrayal of the people of Madhya Pradesh and democracy.”
Nath questioned the haste in declaring the BJP candidates elected when the Election Commission is yet to decide on the Congress party’s complaint and a hearing in the Supreme Court is scheduled for Friday.
“When the Election Commission has not yet pronounced its decision on the Congress party’s complaint, and the hearing in the Supreme Court is scheduled for tomorrow, this kind of haste is an attempt to throw dust in the eyes,” Nath said in a post on X.
Alleging a “conspiratorial hijacking of the democratic process”, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said constitutional institutions were functioning as agents of the BJP instead of discharging their constitutional responsibilities.
He said the Congress would challenge the move both politically and legally. “The Congress party will oppose this injustice at both judicial and political levels,” Nath added.
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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