Congress tries moving MLAs to Karnataka – in vain – as Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination is rejected

What began as a battle over whether Congress could keep its Madhya Pradesh legislators together ended with the party losing its candidate altogether. On Tuesday, Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination was rejected, delivering a significant victory to the BJP after days of political manoeuvring, legal challenges and an aggressive campaign that put the opposition on the defensive.

The rejection comes days after the BJP upended the election by fielding a third candidate, Mahesh Kevat, against Natarajan and then mounting a legal challenge to her nomination papers. The development not only alters the arithmetic of the election but also vindicates a strategy that BJP leaders had been signalling for days while Congress focused on protecting its legislators from possible defections. The Congress is expected to explore its legal options and challenge the decision.

The development came after the Congress spent much of Tuesday focused on moving its legislators to Karnataka. The party leadership had decided to shift MLAs out of Madhya Pradesh amid concerns that BJP leaders were attempting to contact them before the Rajya Sabha election. But the flight to Karnataka was delayed by several hours, and the legislators had to wait outside the Raja Bhoj airport with their suitcases. By the time they got permission to board in the evening, the BJP had dealt the blow.

A total of 61 legislators were supposed to fly out to Karnataka, where the Congress is in power. While the BJP currently has 165 MLAs, sufficient to win two seats, to ensure Kewat’s victory in the third seat, it will need to secure 9 to 11 additional votes.

At the centre of the row was an objection filed by BJP state general secretary Rahul Kothari, who alleged that Natarajan had failed to fully disclose details of a case in the affidavit submitted with her nomination papers.

In a representation to the Returning Officer, Kothari pointed to a private complaint pending before a court in Hyderabad. According to the BJP, Natarajan was named as an accused in the matter.

The BJP argued that if the proceedings existed at the time of filing the nomination and were not fully disclosed in the Form-26 affidavit, it would amount to incomplete disclosure of material information required from election candidates. The party maintained that such disclosures are mandatory under principles laid down by the Supreme Court to protect voters’ right to information.

Kothari urged election authorities to examine the affidavit and relevant court records and take action if any suppression of facts or incomplete disclosure was found.

The Congress had contested the BJP’s interpretation, with senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha accusing the party of deliberately creating confusion around the nature of the proceedings.

“There is misinformation being spread regarding Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination. No criminal case has been registered against her,” Tankha said.

“Only a notice has been issued asking why compensation proceedings of Rs 10 crore should not be initiated against her and certain other persons. Meenakshi ji’s lawyer has already submitted a reply to that notice,” he said. “There is no FIR registered in the matter.”

Former chief minister Kamal Nath also launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing it of attempting to capture a Rajya Sabha seat through procedural and political manoeuvring rather than electoral strength.

Nath alleged that the BJP had “crossed all limits of political propriety” in its effort to defeat the Congress candidate. He also said that the aircraft carrying Congress legislators out of Madhya Pradesh earlier in the day had been deliberately delayed, and described the objection to Natarajan’s nomination as a malicious attempt to derail her candidature.

The rejection triggered immediate celebrations within BJP ranks.

Moments after the decision became known, BJP legislators gathered inside the Assembly complex, raising clasped hands and chanting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”. Former state BJP president and Khajuraho MLA V D Sharma, along with senior BJP leader Rameshwar Sharma and other party legislators, joined the celebrations as party workers and leaders hailed the development as a major breakthrough in the Rajya Sabha contest.

Until a few days ago, much of the political discussion had centred on whether the BJP’s decision to field a third candidate was a symbolic exercise aimed at exposing divisions within the Congress. The ruling party was widely seen as attempting to force Congress into a public demonstration of unity after sections of the opposition privately expressed disappointment over Natarajan’s nomination.

Instead, the BJP succeeded in shifting the battle from legislative arithmetic to the validity of the Congress candidate’s nomination itself.

The rejection is likely to be viewed by BJP leaders as proof that the party’s aggressive strategy was carefully planned rather than merely symbolic. From floating the possibility of a third candidate to challenging Natarajan’s nomination to maintaining pressure on the Congress over its internal cohesion, the BJP steadily escalated the contest and ultimately succeeded in placing the opposition on the defensive.