BJP MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that the Congress intentionally submitted an incomplete nomination form for candidate Meenakshi Natarajan for a Rajya Sabha seat, as it could foresee an inevitable defeat.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trivedi raised questions over the submission of Natarajan's nomination papers, asking why she did not disclose a pending case in a Telangana court. He further questioned that if the case had already been closed, why she had not obtained a written statement confirming its closure.
Trivedi said that a woman worker from Telangana had filed a case against a party leader in 2025 and that Natarajan was also named in the complaint. From a legal standpoint, he said, every candidate is required to disclose whether any case is pending against them. He added that if the case had been closed, that fact should also have been disclosed.
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“The kind of politics the Congress party is engaging in following the rejection of its Rajya Sabha candidate's nomination in Madhya Pradesh truly exposes the party's intentions and its internal state of affairs to the nation.... Congress have a government in Telangana, why didn't they provide a written statement confirming that this case has been closed?... Why didn't the Congress candidate or the Congress party field a backup candidate?... Did the Congress—foreseeing inevitable defeat—deliberately filled out the form in such a way that their candidacy would be rejected….” said Trivedi.
{{/usCountry}}“The kind of politics the Congress party is engaging in following the rejection of its Rajya Sabha candidate's nomination in Madhya Pradesh truly exposes the party's intentions and its internal state of affairs to the nation.... Congress have a government in Telangana, why didn't they provide a written statement confirming that this case has been closed?... Why didn't the Congress candidate or the Congress party field a backup candidate?... Did the Congress—foreseeing inevitable defeat—deliberately filled out the form in such a way that their candidacy would be rejected….” said Trivedi.
{{/usCountry}}Natarajan's nomination for the third Rajya Sabha seat from MP was rejected by the Returning Officer (RO). It was stated that, after examining the available documents, it was found that Natarajan had submitted an incomplete affidavit by not mentioning a court complaint in Form 26, which was submitted along with her nomination papers.
Congress leadership meets EC
Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Wednesday asserted that the order was legally untenable and based on a complete misreading of the law. Speaking to the media after a Congress delegation met the Election Commission (EC) in New Delhi, Singhvi said the party had presented detailed legal arguments demonstrating that the RO's order was "perverse" and contrary to the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.
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"We have told them (EC), and we have demonstrated, according to us, beyond doubt and beyond any matter of controversy, that the RO has passed a perverse order. An order akin to writing 2 + 2 = 7, not 4," Singhvi said.
A delegation of Congress leaders, including KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Vivek Tankha, Digvijaya Singh, Bhupesh Baghel and Natarajan, met Election Commission officials seeking intervention in the matter.
Venugopal said the party had conveyed its concerns to the poll panel and expressed hope that the matter would be examined promptly.
"They told that they will look into it," Venugopal said after the meeting.
The Rajya Sabha biennial elections are scheduled to take place on June 18.
(With ANI inputs)