Scindia clears hurdle as Kamal Nath stares at ouster

Election officer A.P. Singh on Tuesday cleared the nomination papers of BJP Rajya Sabha nominees Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sumer Singh Solanki after rejecting the written objections against them.

The development came as a booster for the Congress rebels and weakened Chief Minister Kamal Nath's position in the ongoing tussle for power in Madhya Pradesh.

If Scindia's papers were not found in order and he had fallen out of race, the Congress rebels could have been left rudderless. Kamal Nath now stares at an imminent defeat in the floor test, whenever it is held.

"I had asked the representatives of both the BJP candidates to come to my office at 10 a.m. to give replies to the written objections," A.P. Singh, returning officer for the Rajya Sabha elections, said.

Singh, who is the Principal Secretary in the state, said that Congress nominees Digvijaya Singh and Phool Singh Baraiya had on Monday filed written objections against the BJP candidates and their former colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sumer Singh Solanki, seeking rejection of their nomination papers.

On the date of scrutiny of nominations on Monday, Digvijaya Singh petitioned that Scindia did not furnish the details of cases pending against him, Congress leader and advocate J.P. Dhanopia said.

"Neither Scindia's affidavit, nor his nomination papers mention the cases pending against him," Dhanopia had said.

Similarly, Congress nominee Phool Singh Baraiya had raised objection over Solanki's nomination as his resignation was accepted a day after he filed his papers on March 13.

Solanki, who was an assistant professor (history) at the Shaheed Bheema Nayak Government Postgraduate College, Barwani, resigned from his government job on March 12, Dhanopia said.

Three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh, currently held by Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh and BJP leaders Prabhat Jha and Satyanarayan Jatiya, are falling vacant next month. The Congress has re-nominated Digvijaya Singh. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is Wednesday. The Rajya Sabha polls will be held on March 26.