Political tensions escalated in Madhya Pradesh when the nomination of Congress Rajya Sabha candidate Meenakshi Natarajan was turned down during scrutiny. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav accused the party of fielding a candidate with a hidden criminal record and lacking support from its own MLAs.
This rejection poses a setback for the Congress ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, providing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with an opportunity to criticize the opposition over candidate selection and internal unity. Yadav claimed that crucial information was deliberately concealed in Natarajan’s affidavit, which he deemed a serious offense.
Yadav connected the rejection to the Congress’s legislative strength, pointing out the movement of party MLAs to Bengaluru. He highlighted the significance of disclosing any pending criminal cases in the affidavit to ensure transparency for voters. The Chief Minister urged the Congress to reflect on their candidate selection process in light of this incident.
The Congress refuted Yadav’s claims regarding their MLA numbers and intentions, clarifying that the shifting of MLAs was a precautionary measure before the Rajya Sabha polls. Senior party leaders dismissed Yadav’s allegations as political maneuvering and emphasized that the low turnout on the chartered flight did not reflect the actual support for Natarajan.
