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The Congress connected Friday (June 12, 2026) intensified its onslaught connected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India implicit the rejection of its Rajya Sabha campaigner Meenakshi Natarajan’s information from Madhya Pradesh, alleging that the ruling enactment had graduated from “vote chori” to “seat chori” (seat theft). It said the state was “drifting towards electoral autocracy”.
The main Opposition enactment said the BJP and the canvass assemblage were partners successful crime, and the ruling enactment was subverting antiauthoritarian institutions for governmental gain. The party’s complaint came astatine a property league attended by 61 Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh, who travelled to Delhi to explicit enactment for Ms. Natarajan and question an assignment with the President.
The MLAs, who had planned to march from the party’s 24, Akbar Road bureau to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, were detained by the Delhi Police.
Leaders pointed retired that Ms. Natarajan required the backing of lone 58 legislators to unafraid predetermination to the Upper House, little than the party’s spot successful Madhya Pradesh.
Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari alleged that the BJP resorted to bonzer measures aft failing to technologist defections wrong the Congress legislature party.
Leader of the Opposition successful the State Assembly Umang Singhar said the occurrence reflected a broader antiauthoritarian decline. “The state is drifting towards electoral autocracy,” helium said, citing what helium alleged was the centralisation of enforcement power, weakening of legislative oversight and curbs connected state of expression.
AICC in-charge for Madhya Pradesh Harish Chaudhary said the contention successful the state was present betwixt the “constitutional model” and the “Modi model”. He alleged that institutions meant to relation impartially were progressively acting successful a partisan manner.
Explaining her case, Ms. Natarajan said her information had been rejected connected the crushed that she failed to disclose a transgression lawsuit successful Form 26. She maintained that nary transgression lawsuit was pending against her and that the substance referred to by the Returning Officer was a backstage ailment connected which nary tribunal had taken cognisance.
“The basal of this full substance is Form 26,” she said, adding, “If determination was a file for it, I would person fixed the details.” She argued that predetermination rules necessitate disclosure lone of cases successful which charges person been framed oregon a tribunal has formally taken cognisance.
The Congress besides alleged “double standards” successful the scrutiny of nominations, contrasting Ms. Natarajan’s lawsuit with that of BJP-backed campaigner Parimal Nathwani successful Jharkhand. It said that portion Ms. Natarajan faced “farcically stringent” scrutiny, Mr. Nathwani was fixed opportunities to rectify deficiencies successful his papers.
In a abstracted onslaught connected the BJP, Congress wide caput (communications) Jairam Ramesh accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of attempting to “engineer” a two-thirds bulk for the ruling enactment successful Parliament by encouraging defections from Opposition parties. “The combat is on. His evil designs indispensable not and volition not succeed,” Mr. Ramesh said successful a station connected X.
