The Congress party is set to move the Supreme Court on Thursday challenging the rejection of its Rajya Sabha candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination from Madhya Pradesh, after the Election Commission declined immediate intervention in the matter .
A delegation of senior Congress leaders, including K.C. Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Surjewala, Abhishek Singhvi, Vivek Tankha, Bhupesh Baghel and Deepa Dasmunshi, met the Election Commission on Wednesday, but no decision was announced . By nightfall, the June 9 rejection remained in force, leaving the BJP’s three nominees set to be declared elected unopposed.
Legal challenge to be mentioned before vacation bench
Sources confirmed that senior advocates Abhishek Singhvi, Vivek Tankha and Salman Khurshid will mention the case before the Supreme Court’s vacation bench on Thursday morning, seeking urgent intervention .
Speaking to reporters after the EC meeting, Singhvi termed the Returning Officer’s decision a “perverse order” akin to writing “2 plus 2 equals 7” . He argued that the rejection was based on a fundamental misreading of election law.
“The Election Commission’s own law, Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act, states that you have to disclose only those cases which have a punishment of over two years, and above all, only those cases in which charges have been framed,” Singhvi explained .
He noted that Natarajan had received only a notice to appear before court, before any cognisance was taken. “Without cognisance, no criminal case exists in the eyes of the law,” he argued .
Congress alleges ‘seat theft’
Natarajan herself condemned the decision as a “subversion of democracy,” saying, “We still have full faith in constitutional institutions. That is why we are fighting this battle” .
Congress leaders have accused the BJP of engineering a “constitutional conspiracy” and described the rejection as “seat theft” rather than vote theft . Telangana Congress spokesperson Sama Ram Mohan Reddy said no criminal cases were pending against Natarajan and that the Telangana government had clarified the same .
Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said the party would move the Supreme Court against the “injustice.” “If required, we will meet the President of India to raise the matter of the constitutional crisis created by the BJP,” he added .
BJP defends decision
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav defended the Returning Officer’s decision. “If one has a pending criminal case in any court, it must be disclosed in the affidavit so that every voter is aware of all relevant details. I welcome the decision,” he said .
High Court advocate Karuna Sagar alleged that Natarajan had deliberately suppressed information about a pending criminal case in Hyderabad, noting that notices had been served and she had legal representation in the matter .
Political arithmetic
In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the BJP has 164 MLAs — comfortably enough to win two Rajya Sabha seats. The Congress has 63 MLAs, but two are ineligible, reducing its effective strength to 61 .
With Natarajan’s nomination rejected, the BJP’s third candidate, Mahesh Kewat, is now in a stronger position, raising the possibility that the party could win all three seats unless the Congress secures relief from the Supreme Court .
Voting for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections is scheduled for June 18.
