nathwani-s-nomination-put-on-hold-after-congress-s-objections

Political developments gathered pace in Jharkhand on Tuesday after objections were raised against the nomination papers of independent Rajya Sabha candidate Parimal Nathwani during the scrutiny process for the upcoming Upper House elections.

 

The scrutiny exercise was carried out at the office of the Returning Officer within the Jharkhand Assembly premises. While the nomination papers of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) nominee Baidyanath Ram and Congress candidate Pranav Jha were accepted as valid, a final decision on Nathwani's candidature was deferred pending clarification on certain issues.

 

Representatives of both the Congress and the JMM challenged Nathwani's nomination, alleging irregularities in the documents submitted by him. In view of these objections, the Returning Officer sought further explanations before taking a final call.

 

Sources familiar with the process said three issues were highlighted during scrutiny. One objection related to inconsistencies in the manner the candidate's name appeared across documents, with variations in the sequence of "Parimal Nathwani" and "Nathwani Parimal." Election officials, however, are understood to be treating this as a procedural discrepancy.

 

Another concern involved an incomplete section in the nomination form, prompting officials to seek clarification regarding the omission.

 

The third and most significant issue pertains to the declaration of criminal antecedents, where objectors alleged that the relevant details were either incomplete or not furnished in the prescribed manner.

 

Following the scrutiny, Nathwani visited the Assembly Secretariat and took part in the process of responding to the queries raised by election authorities. Several senior BJP leaders were also present, backing his candidature.

 

Members of Nathwani's camp maintained that all objections had been adequately addressed and were unlikely to affect his nomination. However, the Returning Officer has not yet issued any formal order on the matter.

 

Nathwani or his authorised representative has been asked to submit a detailed response by Wednesday morning, after which the Returning Officer will decide on the validity of his nomination. A clearance could set the stage for a keenly contested triangular battle for Jharkhand's two Rajya Sabha seats.