The Madhya Pradesh High Court invalidated the election of Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra from the Vijaypur Assembly constituency in Sheopur district due to irregularities and the concealment of material facts. This decision came after a petition by BJP leader Ramniwas Rawat, who lost to Malhotra in a by-election in November 2024. Rawat alleged that Malhotra submitted an incorrect or incomplete affidavit regarding his criminal record during the nomination process, breaching Election Commission guidelines.
The court, upon reviewing evidence and statements from administrative officials, including former Sheopur Collector Kishore Kumar Kanyal, found the allegations to be substantiated. It ruled that concealing such information violated election rules, leading to the annulment of the election. Additionally, the High Court declared Rawat, who secured the second-highest votes, as the elected MLA for the Vijaypur Assembly constituency.
Mukesh Malhotra, supported by the All India Congress Committee at the last minute, defeated BJP’s Ramniwas Rawat in the bypoll. Rawat, who had previously won six Assembly elections from Vijaypur on a Congress ticket, switched to BJP during the 2024 Lok Sabha election and served as the state Environment Minister in Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s Cabinet. However, he lost to Malhotra in the November 2024 bypoll.
