The Congress party is anticipated to request an urgent hearing before the court’s vacation bench. The voting for three Rajya Sabha seats in the state is set for June 18.
Natarajan’s nomination faced rejection on June 9 by Returning Officer and Madhya Pradesh Assembly Principal Secretary Arvind Sharma, following objections raised by BJP leaders, including Rajya Sabha candidate Mahesh Kewat and state BJP general secretary Rahul Kothari.
The BJP claimed that Natarajan did not disclose information regarding a legal proceeding in Hyderabad in the affidavit she submitted with her nomination papers.
The case pertains to a private complaint lodged before the IV Additional Judicial Magistrate in Hyderabad by former Congress member A. Srilatha, with Natarajan identified as Respondent No. 4.
As per the Returning Officer’s directive, she responded to a notice from the Hyderabad court in October 2025, but failed to mention this case in Form 26 submitted with her nomination documents.
Dismissing her candidature, the Returning Officer deemed the affidavit incomplete.
Congress disputes the ruling
The Congress has countered the rejection, asserting that no criminal case is pending against Natarajan since the Hyderabad court has yet to acknowledge the private complaint.
The party argued that Natarajan received a notice under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which occurs before a court decides on the cognizance of a private complaint. They contended that such a pre-cognizance notice does not constitute a pending criminal case that needs to be disclosed in an election affidavit.
Additionally, the Congress referenced Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act, arguing that disclosure requirements apply solely to particular criminal cases and not to instances where cognizance has not been taken.
EC, BJP stance
On Wednesday, a Congress delegation including K.C. Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala, Jairam Ramesh, Deepa Dasmunshi, Vivek Tankha, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and Natarajan met with Election Commission officials to request overturning the Returning Officer’s decision.
Post-meeting, Singhvi stated: “The reason for the rejection was a misunderstanding that a criminal case is pending against her, which she did not disclose in her form.”
In contrast, the BJP has upheld that election disclosure protocols and Supreme Court directives necessitated Natarajan to reveal the Hyderabad proceeding, and her failure to do so warranted the rejection of her nomination.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on Natarajan’s appeal may determine whether she will participate in the contest for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh ahead of the polls on June 18.
