The Madhya Pradesh State Assembly has officially declared the Datia seat vacant following Rajendra Bharti’s conviction on April 2 in a Delhi court. Bharti, the elected member from Constituency No. 22 (Datia), was sentenced to three years in prison and fined Rs one lakh by the Special Judge, Digvijay Singh (PC Act), of the Rouse Avenue District Court, New Delhi.
As a result of the court’s judgment, Bharti stands disqualified from the Legislative Assembly membership effective April 2, 2026, according to a press release. This action was taken in accordance with the Supreme Court’s order from July 10, 2013, and Article 191(1)(e) of the Indian Constitution, along with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Following the court’s decision, the Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly issued an order declaring the vacancy in the Datia Assembly seat. A notification was officially published in the “Madhya Pradesh Gazette” on April 2, marking the seat as vacant and informing the Election Commission of India for necessary by-election procedures.
Rajendra Bharti, a three-time MLA, was convicted in a 28-year-old cooperative bank fraud case by the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi. The case involved financial irregularities concerning a Rs 10 lakh fixed deposit at the District Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank in Datia in 1998.
