Twist in MP Rajya Sabha battle: Congress nominee Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination rejected

In a major setback for the Congress ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, the nomination of party candidate Meenakshi Natarajan was rejected on Monday after election authorities found that information related to a court case had allegedly been concealed in the affidavit submitted with her nomination papers, an official of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly said.

The development came after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders lodged a formal objection before the Returning Officer, seeking cancellation of Natarajan's candidature.

The BJP alleged that the Congress leader had failed to disclose details of a pending case in Telangana in her election affidavit, a mandatory document candidates are required to submit while filing nominations.

Voting for three Rajya Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh is scheduled for June 18.

Natarajan was in the fray against BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat, chairman of the Fishermen Welfare Board. The BJP had on Sunday named Kewat as its third candidate for the election, turning the contest into a closely watched battle.

The numbers in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly had already posed a challenge for the Congress. The effective strength of the House currently stands at 228, with the BJP holding 164 MLAs and the Congress 64.

However, due to uncertainty surrounding the vote of Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre, who is seen as leaning towards the BJP, and restrictions on Vijaypur MLA Mukesh Malhotra from voting, the Congress's effective tally is estimated to be around 62.

Each candidate requires 58 votes to secure victory in the Rajya Sabha election.

The BJP needs 116 votes to win two seats. After allocating those votes from its tally of 164 MLAs, it would be left with 48 votes and would require 10 additional votes to secure a third seat.

While the Congress had the numbers to comfortably win one seat, the BJP's decision to field a third candidate had already complicated the contest.