Congress Alleges ‘Democratic Theft’ After Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha Nomination Rejected

In New Delhi, the Congress MP In-Charge Harish Chaudhary, state president Jitu Patwari, and Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha Umang Singhar addressed a press conference and called the rejection of the nomination as one of the biggest blows to democracy since Independence.

Party leaders also expressed disappointment over the denial of time to the 61 party MLAs who had come to Delhi to meet the President on this issue. They stated that there was no error in Natarajan's nomination form. There was no column in Form 26 to provide information about personal complaints.

Umang Singhar claimed that when the returning officer was questioned about the rejection of the nomination, he admitted to making the mistake under pressure from the government. He accused the Election Commission of misleading the Supreme Court.

Umang Singhar said that the Commission told the court that it had not received the Congress petition, even though the party delegation had submitted a memorandum two days earlier. He quipped that the BJP, which previously used to steal votes, has now started directly stealing seats.

Harish Chaudhary questioned the impartiality of the Election Commission, saying that the institution has now become one-sided.

Jitu Patwari said that Congress needed 58 MLAs to win the Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, and they have more than that. Several independent MLAs are also with them. Describing the election officer as having RSS background, Patwari said that his role has been questionable in the past.

Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan said on Friday that it is very clear that the seat has been stolen. We are ready to fight. This is not a question of personal defeat. We are concerned about the repeated setbacks to democracy.

When asked if she would approach the High Court, she said, "I will not decide that. I was the party's candidate, and whatever the party decides, we will follow. The seat theft is very clear and it is in front of everyone."