Bhopal: The Returning Officer of the Rajya Sabha biennial elections in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday rejected the nomination papers of Meenakshi Natarajan, the lone candidate from Congress.
Earlier in the day, the party faced a hurdle at Bhopal airport while attempting to send its MLAs to Bengaluru for a “resort stay” strategy ahead of the elections. At the same time, the BJP raised a major objection regarding Natarajan’s nomination form, alleging that she had concealed information about a case pending in a Telangana court.
According to the objection filed, former corporate executive A. Srilatha has petitioned the Fourth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court against Natarajan, alleging that she provided political patronage to Kumbham Shivakumar Reddy, against whom Srilatha has levelled serious charges, including molestation and death threats.
Countering this, Congress leader Umang Singhar dismissed the BJP’s objection as “forced politics.” He argued that no formal case has been registered against Natarajan; only a court notice has been received.
He maintained that Election Commission guidelines require disclosure only when a case is registered, not upon receipt of a notice.
Defending herself, Natarajan described the situation as a “political conspiracy” and opposed Srilatha’s petition in the Hyderabad court, terming it an attempt to tarnish her image.
Singhar, in a post on X, said the BJP was “scared of a Gandhian woman.” He alleged that the ruling party was panicked by Congress’s rising acceptability and was resorting to “fair means and foul” to influence the electoral process. He accused BJP workers of turning the Assembly into a political arena, stating: “The slogan is ‘Nari Vandana,’ but the character is ‘Nari Apaman’—this is the BJP’s true identity.”
He added that Congress remains united, firmly standing with democratic values, and will achieve victory in the election “with the power of truth, the Constitution, and public opinion.”
(IANS)
