Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah alleges political conspiracy behind rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination

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Former Karnataka chief minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Siddaramaiah alleged that the rejection of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination for the Rajya Sabha election from Madhya Pradesh was a ‘blatant illegality’, and part of a broader attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate democratic institutions for political gain.

On June 10, Mr. Siddaramaiah said it was ‘ironic’ that the BJP was celebrating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s long tenure in office as a milestone for Indian democracy while, at the same time, the election machinery had rejected the nomination of a Congress candidate.

“The rejection of Ms. Natarajan’s nomination is not a routine scrutiny decision. It is a blatant illegality, and a clear political conspiracy,” he said.

According to Mr. Siddaramaiah, the BJP had the numbers to secure only two Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh, but had fielded a third candidate. He alleged that the ruling party had initially attempted to secure support through ‘horse-trading’ and inducements to Congress legislators.

“When those attempts started failing and Congress MLAs stood united, the BJP used the election machinery to directly reject the Congress candidate’s nomination,” he alleged.

Mr. Siddaramaiah contended that the grounds cited for rejecting Ms. Natarajan’s nomination were legally untenable. He argued that a private complaint could not be treated as a criminal case unless a court had taken cognisance, and that the issuance of a court notice did not amount to a criminal case requiring disclosure in nomination papers.

“This clear legal position was placed before the Returning Officer. Yet, the nomination was rejected. This shows that the decision was not independent, fair or impartial. It was politically driven to help the BJP manufacture a victory it could not win honestly,” he said.

The Congress leader further alleged that the incident reflected a wider pattern of democratic erosion.

“Through various means, includi