New Delhi [India], June 10 : Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan on Wednesday said she continues to have faith in India's constitutional institutions and democratic processes, a day after her nomination papers for the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections were rejected and following a meeting between a Congress delegation and the Election Commission (EC).
Speaking to reporters after meeting Election Commission officials in the national capital, Natarajan said the party had placed its arguments before the poll panel and was now awaiting its response.
"We still have full hope in constitutional institutions, and that's why we are fighting this battle. The Election Commission has heard our case today, and now we are waiting. We are in our fight. We still believe, somewhere or the other, that some form of democratic integrity remains in a democracy," Natarajan said.
She added that the party's legal team had presented its case before the Commission. "Our senior lawyers have presented their case on our behalf, and we are fighting our battle," she said.
The remarks came after a delegation of senior Congress leaders, including KC Venugopal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Vivek Tankha, Digvijaya Singh and Bhupesh Baghel, met Election Commission officials seeking intervention in the matter.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Congress MP and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi strongly criticised the Returning Officer's (RO) decision to reject Natarajan's nomination, describing it as legally unsustainable.
"We have told them, and we have demonstrated, according to us, beyond doubt and beyond any matter of controversy, that the RO has passed a perverse order. An order akin to writing 2+2=7, not 4," Singhvi said.
He argued that the rejection was based on an incorrect interpretation of Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act, which requires candidates to disclose only those criminal cases where charges have been formally framed by a court and where the alleged offence carries a punishment of more than two years.
According to Singhvi, the matter cited against Natarajan had not even reached the stage of cognizance, making the basis for rejection legally untenable.
The Congress leader also urged the Election Commission to invoke its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution to provide immediate corrective relief, citing previous instances in Haryana and Gujarat where the poll body had intervened in cases involving rejected nominations.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said the Election Commission had assured the delegation that it would examine the issue.
"They told that they will look into it," Venugopal said.
The controversy began after Natarajan's nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections from Madhya Pradesh were rejected on Tuesday. Polling for the elections is scheduled to be held on June 18.