In a major setback for Congress, the nomination of Meenakshi Natarajan has been rejected as she failed to disclose information about a court case in Hyderabad in her affidavit. She was the party's candidate for one of the Rajya Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh.
The nomination was rejected after the BJP filed an objection on Tuesday. Following a turn of events, BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat, who was given the ticket a day ago, is set to get elected unopposed.
The other two BJP candidates, Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Aggarwal, are set to win, based on the numerical strength of the ruling party in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.
Kevat's nomination had already alarmed Congress over potential cross-voting, as he needed votes of only 10 more MLAs to win the seat against Natarajan if the contest had gone to the polls.
Fearing poaching, Congress MLAs were moved to Karnataka on Tuesday, following a meeting at LoP Umang Singhar.
What was the case against Natarajan?
According to the BJP, a former corporator, A Srilatha, has filed a petition against Natarajan in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Hyderabad. The petitioner alleged that Natarajan gave political survey work to a man named Kumbham Shivakumar Reddy, whom Srilatha has accused of molestation and issuing death threats.
However, Congress has come out strongly in defence of its candidate. LoP Singhar dismissed the BJP's allegations, stating that no FIR or case has been filed against Natarajan. She has only received a notice from the court. He cited rules that a candidate needs to provide information only about cases, not notices.
Senior lawyer JP Dhanopia, representing the party, also presented the same legal argument to the Returning Officer, stating that a nomination cannot be invalidated merely on the basis of a court notice. Currently, the Returning Officer is investigating the matter, and all eyes are on his final decision.