Bhopal:
The BJP on Thursday swept the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha election. The party won all three seats unopposed while the Congress’ challenge over Meenakshi Natarajan’s rejected nomination remained stuck between the Election Commission and the Supreme Court.
The EC issued certificates to the BJP’s Rajnish Agrawal, Tarun Chugh, and Mahesh Kevat, to confirm their wins. Agrawal spoke to NDTV only to express gratitude to the party for the victory.
Dramatic legal and political challenges by the Congress failed to stop this result.
The party approached the court against the poll panel rejecting Natarajan’s nomination.
The court, however, opted to defer the hearing till Friday, which left room for the Election Commission to confirm the BJP candidates’ ‘unopposed victory’.
A 10-member Congress delegation also met the EC in Delhi on Wednesday afternoon. But like the court, the poll did not issue a ruling before the election process was to be completed.
The Congress had earlier insisted it had the numbers to send Natarajan to the Rajya Sabha. But her nomination was rejected June 9, turning an expected close contest into a one-sided finish.
In the Supreme Court, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi pressed the Congress’ case for an urgent hearing, arguing the deadline for withdrawal of nominations was 3 pm the same day.
The EC, however, said it had not received a petition copy and needed time to respond.
Singhvi then asked that the results not be declared in the meantime. However, the court noted the law on such issues had already been settled and listed the matter for Friday.
The Congress has called the decision unlawful, arbitrary and biased.
The party wants the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination to be set aside.
