MP Rajya Sabha Polls Rocked as Natarajan’s Nomination Rejected, Congress Cries Foul

The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh have been plunged into a sharp political storm after the rejection of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination , triggering a fierce blame game between the Congress and BJP , with allegations ranging from procedural concealment to “seat theft” and claims of internal sabotage.

The controversy began when the Returning Officer rejected Natarajan’s nomination for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats, citing alleged non-disclosure of information in her affidavit. According to officials, objections raised by BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat pointed to a pending matter in a Telangana court that was not mentioned in Form 26 submitted with her nomination papers. After scrutiny and hearing arguments from both sides, the Returning Officer held that the affidavit was incomplete and rejected the nomination.

The Congress immediately escalated the issue, calling the decision a “daylight robbery of democracy” and accusing the BJP of manipulating the electoral process. Senior Congress leaders, including Jairam Ramesh, K C Venugopal, Bhupesh Baghel and Sachin Pilot , rushed to the Election Commission in New Delhi , staged a protest after being initially denied entry, and demanded immediate intervention. The party insisted that the rejection was politically motivated and vowed both legal and political action.

Inside the party, senior leader Vivek Tankha described the development as a shift from “vote theft” to “seat theft” , while Congress leaders maintained that there was no FIR or criminal case against Natarajan, arguing that only a court notice existed and did not require disclosure as a case. Meenakshi Natarajan herself rejected the allegations, calling the decision an attempt to weaken the Congress and asserting that she would challenge the order.

The BJP, however, defended the decision as a constitutional and legal outcome. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the rejection proved concealment of facts, while senior leader Kailash Vijayvargiya made a controversial claim suggesting that the documents used against Natarajan may have been supplied by Congress leaders from Telangana itself , hinting at internal party contradictions.

Adding further complexity, Telangana Congress leaders denied any wrongdoing and rejected claims of a pending case, calling the allegations politically motivated. They accused the BJP of distorting facts and diverting attention from electoral fairness.

With the nomination rejected after the final filing deadline, the Congress now faces a serious strategic setback in the Rajya Sabha numbers game in Madhya Pradesh. Of the three seats, the BJP is now strongly positioned to secure all, altering the expected balance. Meanwhile, protests, legal challenges, and political accusations continue to intensify, turning a procedural scrutiny process into a full blown political confrontation ahead of the June 18 polls .