No response from ECI on Meenakshi’s plea:Congress plans Supreme Court move as nomination withdrawal deadline approaches today

Madhya Pradesh’s political landscape witnessed high-voltage drama that later snowballed into statewide protests by the Congress after its Rajya Sabha candidate, Meenakshi Natarajan, had her nomination rejected during scrutiny for one of the state’s three Upper House seats. The party has so far received neither relief nor a response from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on its appeal against the Returning Officer’s decision. A Congress delegation had met Election Commission officials and urged them to overturn the Returning Officer’s order rejecting Natarajan’s nomination. However, the Commission has not announced any decision so far. With time running out, Congress is now preparing to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. Last day for withdrawal of nominations Thursday is the final day for Rajya Sabha candidates to withdraw their nominations. If the Supreme Court does not intervene immediately, the contest for all three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh will effectively end, paving the way for all three BJP candidates to be declared elected unopposed. What is the Meenakshi Natarajan case? Meenakshi Natarajan, considered a key member of Rahul Gandhi’s core team, saw her nomination papers rejected during scrutiny on June 9 by Returning Officer Arvind Sharma. The rejection followed objections raised by BJP leaders and candidate Mahesh Kewat, who alleged that Natarajan had concealed information about a pending legal matter in a Telangana court in her election affidavit (Form 26). According to BJP, Supreme Court guidelines require candidates to disclose all pending criminal or legal cases in their affidavits. The Returning Officer concluded that Natarajan’s affidavit was incomplete and rejected her nomination. BJP’s objection BJP argued that Natarajan failed to disclose details related to a legal complaint pending before a court in Telangana. The party maintained that the omission violated mandatory disclosure requirements for election candidates and justified the rejection of her nomination papers. Congress’ defence: “It is not a criminal case” Senior Congress leader and advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the party before the Election Commission, argued that no criminal case has actually been registered against Natarajan. Private complaint, not a criminal proceeding According to Singhvi, the Telangana matter stems from a private complaint, and the court had merely issued a show-cause notice asking why cognizance should not be taken. Technical argument Congress contends that until a court formally takes cognizance and frames charges, the matter cannot be treated as a pending criminal case. Therefore, it was not mandatory to disclose it in the election affidavit. The party has described the Returning Officer’s decision as illegal and termed it an attempt to deny Congress representation in the Rajya Sabha election. BJP candidates set for unopposed victory If no immediate judicial relief is granted, the following BJP candidates are expected to be declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh: Congress calls high-level meeting in Delhi Following the setback and the rapidly evolving political situation, a meeting has been convened at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi. The meeting will be attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, state Congress chiefs, and party in-charges from across the country. Key issues on the agenda 1. Legal strategy Congress leaders will discuss how to present the Meenakshi Natarajan case before the Supreme Court and seek urgent relief. 2. Political and organizational planning The party will also deliberate on maintaining unity among its MLAs in Madhya Pradesh. Earlier, Congress had considered shifting legislators to Bengaluru amid fears of cross-voting, but those plans were dropped after Natarajan’s nomination was rejected. Leaders are also expected to review political developments in other states and formulate broader organizational strategies. High stakes for Congress The outcome of the legal battle could determine whether the Rajya Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh remains contested or whether BJP secures all three seats uncontested. With the nomination withdrawal deadline approaching, Congress faces a narrow window to obtain judicial intervention and keep its challenge alive.