The Rajya Sabha elections witnessed another drama when the candidacy of Congress MLA Meenakshi Natarajan was abruptly withdrawn by election officials on the grounds of non-disclosure of a case in court in the affidavits filed along with her nomination papers. This decision has led to a major controversy, with the BJP accusing Congress of hiding facts, while the latter says there is no criminal case against her. Reports say that the issue arose when BJP leaders approached the returning officer officially objecting to the candidature of Meenakshi Natarajan for election. BJP accused the Congress candidate of not having disclosed any case against her in the election affidavit, something which every candidate is supposed to do when filing their nominations. The BJP maintains that this act amounts to suppression of information that can cancel her candidature..
Objection centred on Telangana court proceedings
According to reports, this controversy is based on the complaint made in Hyderabad in the year 2025. According to the BJP, A Srilata appeared before a Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Hyderabad on 20th August 2025, naming Meenakshi Natarajan as accused number four among others in the matter. This complaint involved the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The provisions under which the complaint was made included Section 356, Section 61, Section 45, Section 46, Section 351(2), Section 3(5) and Section 79.
The court issued a notice on 17th September 2025 to Meenakshi Natarajan. She filed a counter-affidavit on 24th October 2025 in which she stated that the charges brought against her were baseless and political in nature. The application for the dismissal of the case was made by her attorney. The court rejected the application for the dismissal of the case on 17th November 2025.
Congress rejects allegations and calls decision unfair
Congress leaders strongly opposed the BJP‘s claims and argued that the Telangana matter was not a criminal case requiring disclosure. The party maintained that only a legal notice had been issued and no FIR had been registered against Meenakshi Natarajan.
As per reports, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar defended the Congress nominee and attacked the BJP over the controversy. “BJP Scared of a Gandhian Woman! The true face of the BJP, panicked by the Congress’s victory and the rising acceptability of an honest female candidate, was exposed today in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly,” tweeted Singhar.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha also sought to clarify the issue.
“Confusion is being spread regarding Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination. No criminal case has been registered. Only a notice has been received stating why proceedings for 10 crore compensation should not be initiated against her and other people. Meenakshi ji’s lawyer has responded to this notice. No FIR has been filed,” tweeted Tankha.
Election officials cite affidavit omission
Despite the Congress defence, election authorities concluded that Meenakshi Natarajan had not disclosed details of the pending court matter in her nomination affidavit. Citing provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Returning Officer rejected her nomination.
As per reports, the Congress is now preparing to challenge the decision. A delegation led by party general secretary KC Venugopal is scheduled to meet Election Commission officials at Nirvachan Sadan to raise concerns over the cancellation of Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination and seek intervention in the matter.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
