Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination for one of Madhya Pradesh's three Rajya Sabha seats was rejected on June 9 by the Returning Officer (Madhya Pradesh Assembly Principal Secretary) for alleged non-disclosure of a criminal case in her affidavit, a private complaint from a Telangana Congress worker in Sept 2025; only summons issued, no FIR/charges. Congress cried foul, citing inconsistencies and rushed rejection.
Meenakshi approached the Supreme Court urgently; it heard the plea on June 12 but dismissed it, directing remedy via Election Commission or post-poll election petition in the High Court. Justices noted limited judicial intervention at nomination stage. This cleared the way for BJP's Tarun Chugh, Rajneesh Agrawal, and Mahesh Kewat to win unopposed. Natarajan defended her Form 26 filing (marking "not applicable" for certain disclosures).
Politically, this is a setback for Congress in a BJP stronghold, amplifying perceptions of institutional bias or selective enforcement favoring the ruling party. It fuels opposition narratives of a compromised Election Commission and "vote loot," echoing broader SIR, NEET concerns. For Congress, it highlights organisational and legal vulnerabilities in upper house strategy. While procedural, the optics weaken the party's national positioning amid alliance fractures elsewhere. As of now, it underscores the high stakes and technicalities in India's electoral battles.