Last-Minute Jolt: How A Rajya Sabha Nomination Rejection Made Congress Recall A Flight From Runway
Last-Minute Jolt: How A Rajya Sabha Nomination Rejection Made Congress Recall A Flight From Runway Published By, Edited By Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 10:28
Last-Minute Jolt: How A Rajya Sabha Nomination Rejection Made Congress Recall A Flight From Runway Published By, Edited By Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 10:28 IST Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination for the Rajya Sabha election had been rejected during scrutiny. Rapid Read Meenakshi Natarajan A special flight carrying Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh to Bengaluru was ready for take-off on Tuesday evening. Legislators and their families had reached Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj Airport with luggage packed, part of a carefully planned operation to keep the party flock together ahead of the Rajya Sabha election. Then came a dramatic message. Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination for the Rajya Sabha election had been rejected during scrutiny. Within minutes, the party’s entire strategy collapsed. The Bengaluru trip was cancelled, MLAs were asked to return, and according to reports, the aircraft itself had to be recalled from the runway. What began as Congress’s attempt to prevent cross-voting in Madhya Pradesh ended with the party effectively being pushed out of the Rajya Sabha contest altogether. Why Was Congress Flying MLAs To Bengaluru? Congress had initially hoped that its candidate, former MP Meenakshi Natarajan, would secure election to the Upper House without major difficulty.
But the situation changed when the BJP sprang a surprise by fielding a third candidate, Mahesh Kewat, for the state’s three Rajya Sabha seats. The move raised the possibility of a closely fought contest and sparked fears within Congress that some MLAs could cross-vote. To eliminate that risk, the party decided to shift its legislators out of Madhya Pradesh to a Congress-ruled state, with Bengaluru emerging as the preferred destination. For much of Tuesday, Congress leaders were focused on executing that plan. The Nomination Rejection That Changed Everything The operation unravelled when Returning Officer AP Singh rejected Natarajan’s nomination papers. The objection was raised by BJP leaders, who argued that Natarajan had failed to disclose details related to a pending legal matter in Telangana in her nomination affidavit. Election officials maintained that she had been given an opportunity to furnish the details but failed to do so. Congress, however, insists that there was no criminal case against her and has challenged the rejection. Whatever the legal merits of the dispute, the political impact was immediate. With Natarajan’s nomination rejected and the deadline for filing nominations already over, Congress could not field a replacement candidate.
The contest that the party had been preparing so aggressively for had effectively disappeared. The Bengaluru flight was supposed to symbolise Congress’s determination to protect its numbers. Instead, it became a symbol of how abruptly the party’s plans had unravelled. Reports suggest legislators waited for hours as the party leadership monitored developments around the nomination scrutiny process. When news of the rejection arrived, there was no longer any strategic reason to move the MLAs. The election arithmetic had fundamentally changed. The flight was cancelled and the legislators were asked to head back. Why The Stakes Were So High For Congress, this was not merely about one Rajya Sabha seat. Natarajan is a former Lok Sabha MP, a prominent organisational leader and currently one of the party’s key faces in Telangana. Her candidature was part of Congress’s effort to maintain relevance in Madhya Pradesh, a state where it has struggled since losing power in 2020. The BJP’s decision to field a third candidate had already put the opposition under pressure. The rejection of Natarajan’s nomination transformed that pressure into a full-blown political crisis, potentially allowing the BJP to secure all three Rajya Sabha seats from the state.
Congress Cries Foul The Congress has responded by alleging that the rejection was politically motivated. Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal led the party’s protest, while Natarajan accused the BJP of attempting to manipulate the Rajya Sabha election and undermine democratic processes. The party has approached the Election Commission seeking intervention and is exploring legal options. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: June 10, 2026, 10:28 IST News india Last-Minute Jolt: How A Rajya Sabha Nomination Rejection Made Congress Recall A Flight From Runway Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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