Jaipur, Jun 9 (PTI) Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday accused the BJP of undermining the democratic process over the rejection of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination for the Rajya Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh.
Gehlot alleged that the BJP is incapable of contesting an election in a free and fair manner, so it resorted to such tactics that undermine democracy.
He also claimed that the grounds cited for cancelling Natarajan’s nomination were not valid.
“The incident reflected the kind of vote theft that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly referred to,” he said.
The former chief minister alleged that the BJP is using procedural manoeuvres to increase its numerical strength in legislative bodies, including the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
He called upon all political parties to speak out against what he termed a conspiracy against democratic values, saying no party could be certain it would not be targeted similarly in the future.
Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully termed the rejection of the nomination a serious blow to democratic values.
He said the technical grounds cited for rejecting the nomination raised questions about the fairness of the electoral process and appeared to be a calculated attempt to secure an additional Rajya Sabha seat for the BJP.
Jully said that the Election Commission’s responsibility is to safeguard democratic principles and ensure free and fair elections.
“Any action that creates doubts about the neutrality and credibility of democratic institutions is a matter of concern,” he said.
Jully said the issue was not limited to one candidate but about protecting public faith in the country’s democratic system. PTI SDA VN VN
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