Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh was rejected following BJP objections.
Allegations centered on undisclosed pending court cases.
Congress plans to challenge the decision in court.
Congress RS Nomination of Meenakshi Natarajan Rejected in MP
Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh was rejected following BJP objections. Allegations centered on undisclosed pending court cases. Congress plans to challenge the decision in court.
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Congress MLAs faced delays in Bengaluru flight amid RS nomination controversy · NewsDarpan AI
The nomination of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan for the third Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh has been rejected. The decision was made by the Returning Officer on Tuesday after BJP raised objections, alleging that Natarajan had concealed information about a pending case in Hyderabad court in her nomination papers. A show-cause notice was issued, demanding a response by evening. Opposition leader Umang Singhar dismissed the allegations as baseless, stating that Natarajan was not involved in any criminal case and had only received a court notice. Congress has announced plans to challenge the rejection in court.
During the scrutiny of nominations, tensions escalated at the Assembly premises, with heated exchanges and disruptions reported between leaders of both parties. Congress MLAs Hemant Katare and Vikrant Bhuria attempted to enter the Returning Officer's room but were stopped by police and Assembly security personnel.
Meanwhile, Congress had arranged to shift its MLAs to Bengaluru. A chartered flight carrying 38 MLAs and 75 passengers took off at around 6:30 PM after initial delays. Another group of 22 MLAs was scheduled to leave at 8:30 PM. However, upon learning of Natarajan's nomination rejection, the flight returned from the runway. Earlier, airport authorities had denied permission for the flight to take off, citing lack of clearance for domestic operations. Senior Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma alleged government interference, claiming the flight was being blocked without valid reasons.