New Delhi, 10 June (H.S.):

A high-level Congress delegation met the Election Commission on Tuesday to protest the rejection of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination for the Rajya Sabha election scheduled to be held in Madhya Pradesh on June 18.

The delegation included Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, party’s Legal, Right to Information (RTI) and Human Resources Department Chairman Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha, Lok Sabha member Randeep Singh Surjewala, General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh, General Secretary Deepa Dasmunsi, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and Meenakshi Natarajan.

Addressing a press conference after meeting Election Commission officials, Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the Returning Officer’s decision was completely distorted and legally unsustainable. He stated that Natarajan’s nomination had been rejected on the grounds that she allegedly failed to disclose a pending criminal case in her nomination papers, whereas, in reality, no criminal case is pending against her. According to Singhvi, only a notice had been issued, and the court had yet to decide whether to take cognisance of the matter.

He explained that Section 33A of the election law requires disclosure only of those cases where the offence carries a punishment of more than two years and where charges have already been framed. In Natarajan’s case, neither has the court taken cognisance nor have any charges been framed.

Singhvi argued that excluding a candidate from the electoral contest at the very outset on the basis of such an error is contrary to the fundamental principles of democracy and the Constitution. He said such an action undermines the principle of equal opportunity in elections and creates an uneven playing field.

He appealed to the Election Commission to exercise its jurisdiction and overturn the Returning Officer’s decision. Singhvi asserted that the Commission possesses the authority to set aside an erroneous decision made by a subordinate official. He cited precedents, noting that in Haryana the Commission had intervened when the nominations of two candidates were wrongly rejected, and that it had similarly corrected ballot-related irregularities in Gujarat.

He further stated that the Congress delegation informed the Commission that this was not a matter that should be left pending in courts for years and eventually resolved through an election petition. The Commission, he said, has the authority to intervene immediately and deliver a fair decision. He urged the Election Commission to restore Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination and allow her to participate in the electoral process.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar