The Congress party is set to file a petition on the Election Commission's portal on Wednesday, a day after Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination for the Rajya Sabha was rejected. If the poll panel does not respond, the party is preparing to move the Supreme Court challenging the decision, according to sources cited by news agency ANI.
Congress Prepares Legal Action
Sources told ANI that the Congress is preparing to file a petition on the portal by 10:30 PM tonight, in case no response is received from the Central Election Commission. Preparations are also underway to mention the matter before the Supreme Court tomorrow morning.
Delegation Meets Election Commission
Earlier in the day, a delegation of senior Congress leaders including KC Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala, Jairam Ramesh, Deepa Dasmunshi, Vivek Tankha, and Abhishek Singhvi met Election Commission officials in New Delhi. They argued that Natarajan's nomination had been wrongly rejected and urged the poll panel to immediately reverse the decision, calling it 'egregious' and 'blatantly unlawful'. The Congress told the poll body that the order rejecting Natarajan's nomination must be set aside immediately.
Background of Rejection
On Tuesday, Natarajan's nomination was rejected by the Returning Officer in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on allegations that she failed to disclose details of a case in Telangana in her election affidavit. BJP leaders objected, claiming that information relating to a pending matter had been concealed.
Congress Leader's Statement
Following the meeting with the Election Commission, Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan said the party had faith in constitutional institutions and would continue to pursue the matter through legal and democratic channels. She told reporters, "The Election Commission has heard us. We are fighting this battle because we still have faith in constitutional institutions."
Political Implications
The rejection of Natarajan's nomination has changed the dynamics for the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. The BJP, which holds 164 seats in the 230-member Assembly, was already assured of winning two of the three Rajya Sabha seats. The Congress, with 64 MLAs, had sufficient numbers to elect Natarajan to the third seat. With her nomination rejected, the BJP's third candidate, Mahesh Kewat, is now in a much stronger position, raising the possibility that the party could win all three Rajya Sabha seats unless the Congress secures relief from the Election Commission or the courts.
Accusations and Defenses
Congress leaders have accused the BJP of engineering a 'constitutional conspiracy' to capture the third seat despite lacking the numbers for a straightforward victory. The BJP insists that election officials merely followed legal requirements regarding the disclosure of pending cases.
