- By Dhananajay Pratap Singh
- Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:30 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Despite having a sufficient number of MLAs, the Madhya Pradesh Congress lost a seat in the Rajya Sabha elections due to negligence in filing nomination papers. There was already a possibility that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would field its candidate for the third seat despite not having the required number of MLAs, and that is exactly what happened. Senior Congress leaders said that in view of the BJP's plan to contest the third seat, efforts were being made to build consensus on making veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath its candidate.
Kamal Nath Faced Last Min Rejection
Kamal Nath had collected the necessary documents for filing nomination. On June 2, he deposited Rs 1,41,220 as water tax dues for the government residence from 2023 to 2027 and on June 4, he deposited Rs 4,236 as solid waste management tax with the Bhopal Municipal Corporation and obtained the No Objection Certificate (NOC). However, at the last moment, the high command declared Meenakshi Natarajan as the candidate. However, her nomination was rejected.
“Kamal Nath had deposited the outstanding amount with the Municipal Corporation, suggesting he was preparing to contest the Rajya Sabha elections but was betrayed by the Congress party,” said Kishan Suryavanshi, Chairman, Municipal Council, Bhopal.
In Politics, What Appears Isn't Always What It Seems
A similar scenario played out in the Rajya Sabha election. Kamal Nath was a central figure in the election campaign. Since his defeat in the 2023 assembly election, he has been less active in Madhya Pradesh politics, but he has been working behind the scenes to prepare for his Rajya Sabha bid. He was so confident that he even obtained receipts and NOCs for the taxes required to be submitted with his nomination papers.
The buzz in administrative circles is that a leader who has been involved in national politics for decades, seeking a NOC at the time of the election, indicates that he is serious about filing his nomination and does not want to miss a beat. Indeed, Kamal Nath had always been drawn to Delhi politics. He has been the party's troubleshooter since Sonia Gandhi's time, and through the Rajya Sabha, he wanted to remain close to the central leadership.
Close sources told Jagran that after the nomination, he wanted to take all the Congress MLAs to Bengaluru. Arrangements were in place there, but he did not get the opportunity. Congress sources also said that Meenakshi's candidacy was not well-received by anyone, from the state organisation to the MLAs. Therefore, the details of her nomination papers were neglected.