The Congress party staged a satyagraha protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi at 10 am on Friday to oppose the Election Commission of India’s decision to reject Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections from Madhya Pradesh. The electoral body disqualified Natarajan’s nomination papers on the grounds of alleged irregularities in her election affidavit, a move that prompted immediate protests from the opposition party, which accused the commission of bias. Earlier in the week, a ten-member Congress delegation had met the Chief Election Commissioner to formally voice their concerns over the matter.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, strongly criticised both the Election Commission and the BJP, accusing them of colluding to manipulate the outcome. He argued that the Rajya Sabha biennial elections had effectively been decided before any voting could take place due to what he described as the theft of seats.
In a statement published on X, Gandhi drew attention to the cancellation of Natarajan’s papers, claiming that after stealing votes and governments, the partnership between the BJP and the Election Commission had now eliminated competition beforehand through seat theft. He pointed out that the Congress candidate had submitted all required documentation and had no pending legal cases against her, yet the commission cancelled her nomination based on what he termed a frivolous objection by the BJP.
Furthermore, Gandhi contrasted this situation with that of Parimal Nathwani, a BJP-backed independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections from Jharkhand. He pointed out that even though there were mistakes made by Nathwani in his nomination papers, including a spelling mistake in his own name and some of the compulsory declaration information not being provided, the Election Commission had allowed him an extension.
Also read: Meenakshi Natarajan moves SC over RS nomination rejection
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