The Congress criticized the BJP and the Election Commission, alleging collaboration in disqualifying Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination in Madhya Pradesh. The party claimed the BJP lacked the necessary Assembly votes for a third seat, leading to the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination through dubious means. Natarajan’s nomination was allegedly turned down by the Returning Officer on grounds related to an undisclosed criminal case in her election affidavit.
The Congress clarified that there are no pending criminal cases against Natarajan, and no court has acknowledged any offenses by her. They argued that the legal notice mentioned by the Returning Officer was merely a private complaint and not a pending criminal case requiring disclosure. According to the Congress, Form 26 mandates the disclosure of cases where charges are framed or a court has acknowledged an offense, conditions not met in Natarajan’s case, making her response of “Not Applicable” legally valid.
Questioning the decision of the Returning Officer, the Congress highlighted discrepancies in the officer’s claim that a court had acknowledged the alleged offense. They referenced the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to assert that the magistrate had issued a notice for a hearing but had not initiated criminal proceedings. The party accused the ECI of applying double standards by treating Rajya Sabha candidate Parimal Nathwani’s nomination differently in Jharkhand.
The Congress alleged that Nathwani’s nomination papers in Jharkhand had various defects, including name discrepancies, incomplete Form 26 responses, and omissions in asset and tax disclosures. Despite these issues, the Returning Officer in Jharkhand reportedly allowed clarifications and accepted the nomination. Citing a Supreme Court judgment, the Congress argued that Returning Officers lack the authority to permit candidates to rectify substantial defects during scrutiny. The party concluded by accusing the BJP and the ECI of complicity in what they termed as “seat chori” in this incident.
