Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh was rejected due to an incomplete affidavit, failing to disclose a court complaint from Telangana. BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya claimed Congress members from Telangana provided the information, highlighting internal party strife.
The Congress party has accused the BJP and the Election Commission of being "partners in crime" in what it terms "seat chori" (seat theft), following the rejection of its Rajya Sabha candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination. The party claims the rejection was based on "flawed and unreasonable" logic, alleging non-disclosure of a criminal case against Natarajan, despite her stating only a legal notice exists.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has dismissed allegations of 'seat theft' in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, asserting that Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination was deliberately undermined by her own party leaders who were vying for the same seat.
A complaint was submitted by BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat, contesting the third Rajya Sabha seat, to the Returning Officer alleging that Natarajan deliberately hid information about a case filed against her in Telangana.
'We can never trust the BJP when it comes to elections.'
The Supreme Court is set to hear Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan's challenge against the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh, which was dismissed due to alleged concealment of information in her election affidavit.
A former principal secretary of the Madhya Pradesh assembly, Bhagwandev Israni, has claimed that Congress nominee Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha poll nomination was wrongly rejected, arguing she was not required to disclose information as no FIR or chargesheet had been filed against her.
Three BJP candidates have been declared elected unopposed in the biennial Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, while the Congress party has moved the Supreme Court against the rejection of its candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination.
The Supreme Court dismissed Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan's challenge to her rejected Rajya Sabha nomination, reaffirming that the Election Commission is the sole recourse for such disputes and citing Article 329(b) of the Constitution which bars judicial interference in electoral matters.
The Congress party has formally appealed to the Election Commission, demanding an immediate reversal of the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination for the Rajya Sabha polls, labelling the decision as 'egregious' and a 'subversion of democracy'.
Congress leader Digvijay Singh courted a fresh controversy when he described party Member of Parliament Meenakshi Natarajan "sou tanch khara maal" (totally pure), remarks that were slammed as sexist and derogatory.
The rejection of senior Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination papers transformed what should have been a routine Rajya Sabha election into a lesson in contemporary political warfare.
The Congress party has announced its seven candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera, Meenakshi Natarajan, Praveen Chakravarty, Neeraj Dangi, Mansoor Ali Khan, and Pranav Jha, representing various states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand. The elections are set for June 18.
The Congress party is reportedly considering moving its Madhya Pradesh MLAs to a party-ruled state, likely Karnataka, ahead of the June 18 Rajya Sabha elections. This move aims to prevent potential cross-voting after the BJP fielded a surprise third candidate, intensifying the contest for three Rajya Sabha seats.
Telangana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar is facing controversy after a cabinet colleague demanded an apology over an alleged remark. The issue has taken a casteist angle, with some Congress MLAs expressing solidarity with the colleague.
The Congress on Tuesday distanced itself from a private member's bill tabled by party Member of Parliament Meenakshi Natarajan, saying it contained her personal views. "The bill was based on her (Natarajan's) views. These are not the views of Rahul Gandhi. Neither are these his views or nor has she got his consent to this bill," Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said.
Amidst growing protests from students and other groups over the Telangana government's plan to develop 400 acres of land adjacent to the University of Hyderabad (UoH) for IT infrastructure, the Congress party has urged the state government to hold discussions with all stakeholders. The Congress leader, Meenakshi Natarajan, who is in charge of party affairs in Telangana, said the government should also consider the objections raised by students and others and await the Supreme Court's ruling on the land issue. The matter is currently being heard in both the Telangana High Court and Supreme Court.
In a major organisational revamp, the Congress on Friday appointed former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel as general secretary in-charge of Punjab and Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain as general secretary for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Congress member of Parliament from Mandsaur Meenakshi Natarajan faced the wrath of party workers loyal to Congress leader Rajkumar Ahirwar, after Raghuraj Choradia was given the ticket to contest assembly elections from the Jawad constituency, instead of Ahirwar.
Reddy alleged that contracts worth thousands of crores were awarded to people close to Modi, who then purchased Rafale aircraft.
Contrary to Anna Hazare's view -- that Rahul Gandhi was behind the Standing Committee's decision to exclude the lower bureaucracy from the purview of Lokpal -- there are indications now that it may be Gandhi who may want their inclusion, says Neerja Chowdhury
Rahul's babalog have forged an alliance that is now formidable. This is a challenge to older congress MPs. Second-timers and third-timers cannot be very happy with this development
Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who has drawn flak for his "tanch maal" remark on woman MP from the party, on Saturday hit out at the media, blaming its "TRP race" for the controversy.
Gaurav Gogoi will head the screening committee for Rajasthan with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot included among the ex-officio members of the panel.
Sparking yet another controversy, Congress general secretary called Meenakshi Natarajan, a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and Mandsaur MP, "sau taka tunch maal".
While 39 members of the all-important panel are general members, it has 32 permanent invitees, including some in-charges of state and 13 special invitees.
"This is not a farmers' agitation, this is Congress' agitation," he said.
Party chief Rahul Gandhi formed a nine-member Core Group Committee, a 19-member Manifesto Committee and a committee comprising 19 top party leaders who will look after the publicity during the elections.
In Sehore alone, the home district of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, five suicides have been reported.
'This is India. We have allowed ourselves to be dictated by the narrative that the BJP has set for itself.'
The names of Meenakshi Natarajan, considered close to party Vice President Rahul Gandhi, and Oscar Fernandes are being mentioned in Congress circles for a possible berth in the Union council of ministers.
Rahul Gandhi and young leaders close to him are planning to connect with party workers on the ground and are preparing to embark on a nationwide yatra, reports Archis Mohan.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi also decided to convene a 'Chintan Shivir', a brainstorming session from May 13-15 in Udaipur.
According to party insiders, the revamp will be aimed at serving the dual purposes of fixing accountability for the loss and bringing in a new leadership in the run-up to 2014 polls. The demoralised Congress unit desperately needs a new lease of life, if it has to give any competition to the reenergised Bharatiya Janata Party under Narendra Modi.
Even as questions continue to be raised within the Congress party over Rahul Gandhi's primary election experiment, the party has managed to avoid a major embarrassment by forcing controversial former MP Jagdish Tytler to withdraw his nomination
Congressmen are watching carefully how Rahul positions himself and manage the grand old party, reports Aditi Phadnis.
BJP veterans whom K Annamalai has reportedly sidelined are upset over his 'immature' way of handling allies, reveals N Sathiya Moorthy.
In a major exercise ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Congress on Thursday night constituted screening committees for all states and union territories for early selection of candidates.
Mandsaur, the epicentre of the agitation, has remained relatively peaceful even as farmer protests have spilled over to new areas of MP.
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi had brought in the United States style 'primaries' with much fanfare to empower grassroot leaders to fight the Lok Sabha elections.
