Madhya Pradesh Politics: Congress Faces Setback as Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha Nomination Is Rejected

The Congress has suffered a major setback in the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections after the Election Commission rejected the nomination of party candidate Meenakshi Natarajan. In response, a Congress delegation is scheduled to meet Election Commission officials to challenge the decision. Party leaders staged protests outside the Election Commission office in Delhi after allegedly being stopped at the entrance, while Congress workers also held demonstrations and an overnight vigil outside the State Election Commission office in Bhopal. According to the Election Commission, the nomination was rejected because Meenakshi Natarajan allegedly failed to disclose details of a pending case and a Hyderabad court summons in her election affidavit. The case reportedly relates to allegations that she protected an individual accused of molestation, leading to a complaint filed by corporator A. Srilatha under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The BJP objected to the nomination on grounds of concealment of material information. Congress, however, has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that there is no legal requirement to disclose such notices and accusing authorities of political bias in the decision-making process.