The election to three Rajya Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh took a dramatic turn on Tuesday after the nomination of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan was rejected over allegations that she concealed details of a case in her election affidavit.

"Natarajan's nomination has been rejected by the returning officer on the grounds of hiding information about a case," a Madhya Pradesh Assembly official told PTI.

The decision followed an objection filed by BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat, who is contesting the crucial third Rajya Sabha seat. Kewat alleged that Natarajan had deliberately omitted information relating to a case pending against her in Telangana.

Sanket Gupta, the lawyer representing Kewat, told reporters that a criminal case against Natarajan was pending before a court in Telangana and that the matter had not been disclosed in her nomination papers.

"This information has been deliberately concealed. According to Supreme Court guidelines, you are required to provide this information in the affidavit. Kewat had filed an objection to Natarajan's candidacy under this same provision," Gupta said.

He further claimed that several other deficiencies had been detected in the nomination documents, though the primary ground for rejection was the alleged non-disclosure of the Telangana case.

The Congress, however, strongly contested the decision and accused the BJP of attempting to eliminate its rival through procedural manoeuvres rather than at the ballot box.

The party's Madhya Pradesh in-charge Harish Chaudhary argued that no criminal case had actually been instituted against Natarajan and that the BJP was seeking to harass the Congress leader by inflating a routine legal notice into a disqualification issue.

According to Chaudhary, Natarajan had merely received a show-cause notice from a court and was not required under Election Commission rules to disclose it in her affidavit. "The Election Commission's instructions are very clear. Information has to be disclosed when a case has been filed, not when a notice has been received," he said. "Technically, Natarajan's nomination cannot be rejected."

The rejection has injected fresh uncertainty into an election that was already shaping up to be a high-stakes political contest. Earlier in the day, the Congress flew 35 of its 62 eligible MLAs to Bengaluru on a chartered aircraft, alleging that the BJP was attempting to poach opposition legislators ahead of the 18 June election. A second batch was expected to follow later.

The Congress said it was taking precautions to avoid a repeat of the 2020 political crisis, when the Kamal Nath-led government collapsed after Jyotiraditya Scindia and 22 Congress MLAs switched allegiance to the BJP.

Leader of opposition Umang Singhar alleged that BJP operatives were once again attempting to lure Congress legislators. "Some MLAs told me they were approached with bags full of notes, but they refused," Singhar claimed, adding that the BJP's alleged efforts to engineer defections would fail. The BJP has denied the allegations.

The Rajya Sabha election had become particularly significant after the BJP, despite having sufficient numbers to comfortably win two seats, fielded a surprise third candidate in Kewat, chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare Board.

The party's other candidates are national general-secretary Tarun Chugh and state unit secretary Rajneesh Agrawal.

With the effective strength of the 230-member Assembly standing at 229, a candidate requires 58 first-preference votes to secure election. The BJP, with 164 MLAs, is assured of two seats and retains a substantial surplus. The Congress, whose effective strength has been reduced to 62 after the disqualification of one MLA and a court order preventing another from voting, was expected to comfortably secure the third seat through Natarajan's candidature.

Her rejection, however, threatens to upend those calculations. Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh had earlier accused the BJP of hypocrisy over women's representation, arguing that the ruling party was seeking to defeat a woman candidate while publicly championing women's reservation.

"The BJP talks about women's reservation but has fielded all its resources against a woman candidate," Singh had said before the Returning Officer announced the decision.

The Congress Legislature Party had met late on Monday night to discuss the election strategy, with most legislators backing the decision to move MLAs outside the state to prevent any possibility of cross-voting.

The controversy is also unfolding against the backdrop of other political uncertainties. A petition seeking the disqualification of Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre remains pending before the high court, while political observers have speculated that she may support the BJP in the Rajya Sabha contest after recently meeting chief minister Mohan Yadav.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at the residence of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and several properties linked to his family and associates as part of a money laundering investigation connected to the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) case involving his daughter Veena Vijayan.

The searches, carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), covered 10 locations across Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kannur and Bengaluru. Officials said the operation began around 7 am and was conducted with security support from Central Armed Police Forces personnel.

Among the premises searched were Vijayan’s rented residence at Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram, a family property in Kannur, the Kozhikode residence of his son-in-law and former minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas, and locations linked to key officials of CMRL.

Officials said the former chief minister was present at his residence when the search team arrived. Investigators reportedly recovered documents relating to investments and fixed deposits during the operation.

Protest outside residence turns violent

Tension flared outside Vijayan’s residence as ED officials concluded their search.

A group of suspected CPI(M) workers gathered outside the property to protest the agency’s action. According to officials, some protesters allegedly blocked vehicles carrying ED personnel and hurled stones at them as they attempted to leave.

Police and central security personnel intervened to disperse the crowd and escort officials from the area. One vehicle's windshield was damaged during the incident.

The ED said it would file a police complaint regarding what it described as an attack on its personnel. Officials noted that women officers were also present in the convoy targeted during the protest.

Vijayan alleges political targeting

Speaking to reporters after the search operation ended, Vijayan accused the Centre of using investigative agencies to target opposition leaders.

“This is only a beginning. Nobody should harbour the illusion that such actions can intimidate or weaken us,” he said.

The veteran CPI(M) leader recently moved into the role of Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) defeated the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in the state elections last month, ending Vijayan’s decade-long tenure as chief minister from 2016 to 2026.

Case linked to daughter’s firm

The ED investigation centres on allegations that CMRL paid Rs 2.78 crore to Veena Vijayan’s company, Exalogic Solutions Private Limited, purportedly for information technology consultancy services.

The agency is also examining financial transactions involving another company, Empower India Capital Investment Private Limited (EICPL), which is operated by CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha.

According to the ED, EICPL extended loans worth Rs 50 lakh to Exalogic despite alleged repayment defaults. Investigators claim these transactions generated “proceeds of crime” involving CMRL management and Veena Vijayan.

Probe follows High Court ruling

The agency intensified its action a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by CMRL seeking to quash the money laundering proceedings.

The court upheld the validity of the ED investigation, ruling that a prosecution complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) constituted a valid predicate offence under the PMLA.

The ED case is based on an SFIO prosecution complaint filed before a court in Ernakulam in April 2025.

CMRL first came under scrutiny after Income Tax Department raids in January 2019 allegedly uncovered fake expenditure claims worth around Rs 130 crore. Investigators later expanded the inquiry, with the SFIO alleging that fictitious cash expenses amounting to Rs 182 crore were recorded over a 15-year period and that Rs 91 crore was paid for transport services to companies linked to the Kartha family.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Congress MP and deputy leader of Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday wrote to Union Home minister Amit Shah expressing concern over repeated incidents of racial harassment and attacks targeting women and people from the Northeast in Delhi, and urged immediate steps to strengthen institutional safeguards for their safety.

In his letter, Gogoi referred to the recent incident at Nehru Place where two women from Assam and Bihar were allegedly molested, assaulted and racially abused by a group of men in the early hours of 10 May.

According to the letter, the women were having tea outside a hotel when a group allegedly began catcalling them and making derogatory racial remarks, which later escalated into physical assault.

Gogoi noted that the Delhi Police had confirmed the women were racially targeted and attacked.

The Congress leader also cited other recent incidents involving people from the Northeast in the national capital, including the alleged assault and racial abuse of a lawyer from Manipur and her transwoman friend in South Delhi in March this year, as well as another case in February involving three women from Arunachal Pradesh in Malviya Nagar.

Describing the incidents as part of a wider and disturbing trend, Gogoi said they reflected a “deeply troubling pattern” of prejudice, profiling and violence faced by citizens from the Northeast in Delhi.

He also recalled earlier high-profile cases, including the killing of Nido Tania in 2014 and the death of Tripura student Anjel Chakma following an alleged assault in 2025.

While acknowledging measures introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Delhi Police — including SPUNER, Helpline 1093, the North East Assistance Team (NEAT), and sensitisation initiatives — Gogoi said recurring incidents pointed to serious gaps in implementation and public confidence.

“As the national capital, Delhi must embody the constitutional values of equality, dignity, and security for every Indian citizen, irrespective of region, ethnicity, language, or appearance,” the letter stated.

“Citizens from the North Eastern states contribute immensely to the social, educational, and economic life of the city. They deserve not only protection in law, but also confidence in the institutions meant to safeguard them,” Gogoi wrote.

He urged the Union Home minister to review the effectiveness of existing support systems, strengthen accountability in cases involving racial harassment, expand awareness about helplines and legal protections, and ensure strict and time-bound action against offenders.

With IANS inputs

Incidents of vandalism and arson were reported at several offices of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) across West Bengal on Monday, following celebrations by workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party after its decisive electoral victory in the State.

Police said party offices were targeted in multiple locations, including Tollygunge and Kasba in Kolkata, as well as suburban areas such as Baruipur, Kamarhati and Baranagar. Similar incidents were reported from districts including Howrah and Baharampur, where groups allegedly damaged property and created unrest.

An official from the Election Commission of India said authorities have sought reports from local police and warned that strict action would be taken against those involved in violence and vandalism.

The BJP denied any involvement, with party leader Rahul Sinha suggesting that the incidents could be the result of infighting within the TMC. He claimed disgruntled factions might be venting frustration following the election outcome.

At Bijoygarh-Netajjnagar in Tollygunge, a party office linked to TMC leader Aroop Biswas was damaged, while in the Ruby Crossing area, another office associated with a local TMC representative was reportedly attacked by a crowd.

The TMC, however, accused the BJP of orchestrating the violence. In posts on social media, the party alleged that its offices had been attacked and set ablaze in some areas, and described the incidents as evidence of what it called “violent and undemocratic conduct”.

The party also claimed that some of its candidates and workers were assaulted after the counting process. In one instance, a candidate from Udaynarayanpur in Howrah was reportedly attacked, while in north Kolkata’s Maniktala, a party worker was allegedly beaten, with images circulating online showing injuries. These claims could not be independently verified.

In parts of North 24-Parganas, including Panihati, local offices of the party were reportedly taken over amid the unrest. Some candidates were escorted out of counting centres by security personnel following reports of confrontation.

Condemning the incidents, Sinha said violence should not occur but argued that the situation was less severe than past episodes of post-election unrest, adding that police and central forces appeared to be responding more promptly this time.

Authorities said the situation remains under watch as they assess reports and work to maintain order in the aftermath of the results.

With PTI inputs