Madhya Pradesh leaders protest rejection of Natarajan’s RS nomination in Delhi, detained

The protesters, including 61 Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh, had gathered in the national capital seeking an appointment with the President and demanding intervention in the matter. The police stopped the march and detained several demonstrators before they could proceed towards the high-security zone around Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The protest came amid a sharp attack by the Congress on the BJP and the Election Commission, with the party alleging that the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination represented a serious assault on democratic processes.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari claimed it was the first time in the country’s history that the nomination papers of a Rajya Sabha candidate had been rejected. He said the development had raised serious questions about the future of democracy in India.

Congress leaders alleged that Natarajan needed the support of only 58 MLAs to secure election to the Rajya Sabha and accused the BJP of resorting to “seat chori” after “vote chori” in earlier polls.

AICC in-charge for Madhya Pradesh Harish Chaudhary said the country was witnessing a contest between the “constitutional model” and the “Modi model”. He alleged that institutions meant to function independently were increasingly coming under political influence.

Explaining her position, Natarajan said her nomination was rejected on the ground that she had allegedly failed to disclose a criminal case in her affidavit. She maintained that no criminal case was pending against her and that the matter cited by the returning officer was merely a private complaint, on which no court had taken cognisance.

The Congress claimed the returning officer had wrongly interpreted election rules and alleged that its candidate was subjected to far stricter scrutiny than BJP-backed Rajya Sabha candidates in other states. The party said it would continue its fight against the BJP’s “attempts to undermine democratic institutions”.