RANCHI: The nomination papers to BJP-backed independent candidate Parimal Nathwani was finally accepted after a two-day controversy over discrepancies in his nomination papers.
Following a series of objections raised by the Congress MLA Naman Bixal Kongari during the scrutiny process, the Returning Officer had kept Nathwani’s nomination on hold on Tuesday.
The matter was referred to the Election Commission of India, and the decision was taken based on the guidelines received from there.
Notably, during the scrutiny of nomination papers on Tuesday, certain discrepancies were detected in Nathwani's documents, leading to his nomination being put on hold.
In response, Congress leaders created a significant uproar within the Assembly premises on Wednesday and staged a protest demanding the cancellation of Nathwani's nomination, questioning how the candidate's name had changed.
Concluding that none of the objections disclosed a valid ground for rejection under Section 36(2) of the Representation of the People Act, Returning Officer Ranjeet Kumar rejected all objections and accepted Nathwani’s nomination.
“The nomination paper of Shri Nathwani Parimal is found to be valid and is hereby accepted under Section 36 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,” stated the order.
In a detailed three-page order issued under Section 36 of the Act, Kumar examined objections concerning the alleged non-submission of a No Dues Certificate, purported non-disclosure of shareholding and financial interests, discrepancies in the candidate’s name and alleged shortcomings in Form 26 disclosures.
After reviewing the records, the Returning Officer held that the objections were either unsupported by facts or pertained to matters that did not constitute valid grounds for rejecting a nomination during the scrutiny process.
Meanwhile, the issue triggered intense political activity outside the Assembly, where Congress leaders, including ministers and MLAs, staged a protest demanding the cancellation of Nathwani’s nomination on Wednesday.
The anger of Congress leaders erupted openly after Salman Khurshid was denied permission to argue the case during the hearing. Congress ministers staged a protest and created a massive uproar outside the Returning Officer's office.
The Congress leaders alleged that while a new affidavit was accepted, the senior advocate representing them was not permitted to participate in the hearing.
Questioning the process, they termed it biased.
Party leaders maintained that electoral norms must be strictly followed and warned that their agitation would continue until the matter was resolved.
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Congress MLAs will move to Delhi along with State President Keshav Mahto and register their protest before the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge.
With Nathwani’s nomination papers clearing scrutiny, the contest for Jharkhand’s two Rajya Sabha seats is now set among three candidates.
Nathwani is contesting as an Independent backed by the BJP, while the ruling alliance has fielded Baidyanath Ram of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Pranav Jha of the Congress.
The nominations of Baidyanath Ram and Pranav Jha had already been declared valid during the scrutiny process.
