Inside the Controversy Over Natarajan’s Rejected Nomination
HYDERABAD: The returning officer on Tuesday rejected Congress Rajya Sabha candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination from Madhya Pradesh, saying she failed to disclose details of a pending court case in her election affidavit.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised the objection. The party alleged that Natarajan concealed information about a case pending before a court in Hyderabad, Telangana, while filing her nomination papers.
Returning officer cites incomplete affidavit
After reviewing the records, the returning officer found that Natarajan did not mention the court case in Form 26, the affidavit that election candidates must submit.
According to the order, the court had taken cognisance of a family case involving Natarajan and issued a summons directing her to appear before it. Therefore, the returning officer held that the matter remained pending before the court.
The officer further said that Natarajan’s omission denied voters complete information. As a result, he concluded that she had filed an incomplete affidavit.
“Therefore, in compliance with Chapter 6, Point No. 10(x.iii) of the Returning Officer’s Handbook, the nomination paper submitted by Ms. Meenakshi Natarajan is rejected for non-compliance with the Election Commission of India’s directions,” the order stated.
BJP welcomes decision
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav welcomed the decision.
“The Congress candidate concealed information related to her criminal background, even though the law required disclosure. Unfortunately, the Congress party tried to hide this fact from the public. Therefore, I welcome the decision taken in this matter,” Yadav said.
Congress rejects allegations
However, the Congress rejected the allegations and accused its political rivals of creating confusion over Natarajan’s nomination.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha said no criminal case had been registered against Natarajan. He maintained that authorities had only issued a notice to her.
Furthermore, the party argued that officials rejected the nomination because they misunderstood the legal proceedings cited in the objection.
