Bhopal, June 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to influence the Rajya Sabha election through “seat manipulation,” Congress Rajya Sabha candidate Meenakshi Natarajan on Tuesday said the controversy surrounding her rejected nomination began when the ruling party fielded a third candidate despite lacking the requisite numbers in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Bhopal hours after the Returning Officer of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly rejected her nomination papers, Natarajan alleged that the BJP’s move exposed its intent to undermine democratic processes.
She said the trouble started when the BJP fielded a third candidate without the requisite numerical strength, thereby revealing its strategy of trampling upon the Constitution and democracy. “What was earlier limited to allegations of vote chori has now turned into what is being called seat manipulation. After this, even the Rajya Sabha election is being influenced,” she remarked.
Natarajan further alleged that objections to her nomination were built around legal notices that had not even been formally taken into cognisance by any authority.
“Those notices had not even been formally taken into cognisance, yet my election petition was challenged on that basis. Our lawyers presented all arguments before the authority, but they were not properly heard, and even their references were not recorded in the final order. This is not merely about one Rajya Sabha seat or about me as a candidate. It is about the manner in which democratic institutions are being used,” she said.
Backing Natarajan, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari alleged that the episode had cast a shadow over the state’s democratic image and raised questions about the fairness of the electoral process. He said there is a nationwide discussion on issues such as vote chori, voter list manipulation and the purchase and sale of MLAs.
“Madhya Pradesh has recorded a black chapter in its history under the BJP, and now even the Election Commission is facing questions over seat manipulation,” Patwari added.
The BJP, however, defended both its objection and the Returning Officer’s decision. Responding to the Congress allegations, senior BJP leader and Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya accused the opposition party of disrespecting constitutional institutions and attempting to politicise a legal matter.
“The Congress has always murdered the Constitution. One must respect the judiciary, the Legislative Assembly, the Lok Sabha and all constitutional institutions. The Congress has mocked all these institutions and attempted to do the same here as well. Our lawyer Sanket Gupta presented the facts effectively before the authorities,” Vijayvargiya said.
He also alleged that the Congress had made incorrect claims during the proceedings and remarked that “some members of the Telangana Congress helped us,” referring to information that formed the basis of the BJP’s objections.
Notably, Vijayvargiya had earlier stirred political speculation by asserting that if the BJP fielded a third Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh, party workers would ensure the candidate’s victory.
On Tuesday, he also led the BJP delegation that formally challenged Natarajan’s nomination before the Returning Officer.
Source: IANS
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