Meenakshi Natarajan Alleges BJP-EC Conspiracy Behind Rajya Sabha Nomination Rejection

Senior Congress leader and AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan on Sunday alleged that the rejection of her nomination for the recent Rajya Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh was the result of a deliberate conspiracy involving the BJP and the Election Commission.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Natarajan accused the ruling party of undermining democratic processes and claimed that the entire episode was orchestrated to prevent the Congress from contesting the election effectively.

The Congress had fielded Natarajan as its sole candidate for the Rajya Sabha election held on June 18. She alleged that despite lacking the numbers required to secure a third seat, the BJP fielded a third candidate with the intention of manipulating the electoral process.

Her nomination was rejected by the Returning Officer on the grounds that her affidavit was incomplete and had allegedly omitted details related to a court matter. The objection was raised following a complaint by BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat, who claimed that a case registered in Telangana had not been disclosed in her election papers.

Following scrutiny of nominations, all three BJP candidates were declared elected unopposed. Natarajan subsequently approached the Supreme Court challenging the rejection of her nomination. While the apex court dismissed her plea on June 12, it allowed her the option of pursuing the matter through an election petition .

Natarajan maintained that the action against her was politically motivated. She claimed that the BJP realised there was no possibility of engineering divisions within the Congress and therefore resorted to influencing election authorities.

"I say this with complete responsibility the Returning Officers were compromised, and the Election Commission was influenced," she alleged.

According to Natarajan, the issue cited against her related to a legal notice arising from a private complaint in Hyderabad, which she said was still at a preliminary stage and did not constitute a criminal case. She argued that Form 26 of the election affidavit does not require disclosure of pending legal notices and asserted that she had already informed the authorities about the matter and submitted her response.

She further stated that a Congress delegation had approached the Election Commission on June 10 seeking intervention, but no action was taken. As a result, the party moved the Supreme Court. Natarajan announced that she would soon challenge the matter before the Madhya Pradesh High Court through an election petition.

Rejecting speculation that the rejection of her nomination was linked to internal Congress rivalries, Natarajan described such reports as BJP-sponsored misinformation intended to divert attention from the role of the Election Commission and the ruling party.

"The Congress is completely united. These conspiracy theories about internal sabotage are baseless," she said, also dismissing reports that a Congress Rajya Sabha member from Telangana might resign to facilitate her entry into Parliament.

Natarajan also accused the BJP of attempting to weaken opposition parties across the country. She alleged that the ruling party was pursuing a "One Nation, One Party" agenda that threatened the foundations of Indian democracy.

Responding to questions about a petition filed by a woman in a Hyderabad court that named her as one of the respondents, Natarajan said the Congress stood firmly with the complainant. The woman had levelled allegations of harassment and intimidation against a Congress leader, following which an FIR was registered.

Natarajan said the party had acted promptly by removing the leader from the post of District Congress Committee president and later suspending him from the party, describing the action as a reflection of the Congress' commitment to accountability and support for victims.