In a turn of events impacting the opposition’s INDIA bloc in Madhya Pradesh, the nomination of the Samajwadi Party’s candidate from Khajuraho, Meera Yadav, has been rejected due to a missing signature on mandatory documents required by the Election Commission of India.
Former MLA Meera Yadav, previously victorious from Niwari assembly seat on a Samajwadi Party ticket but experiencing three consecutive electoral losses thereafter, had initially been replaced by Manoj Yadav as the party’s nominee, only to be reinstated later. Despite filing her nomination papers on the final day for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024, her candidacy faced disqualification.
Ms. Yadav hails from an influential Samajwadi Party family in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district and was the sole Samajwadi Party candidate in Madhya Pradesh. Her husband, Deep Narayan Yadav, expressed dismay over the rejection, citing that the returning officer had initially accepted her papers after scrutiny but later informed them of the missing signature and non-submission of a certified copy of the updated voter list.
Intent on contesting the decision, Mr. Yadav stated their plan to approach the high court and, if necessary, the Supreme Court upon receiving the official rejection order from the Panna district election officer.
The Khajuraho seat holds significant political weight, with the BJP fielding state unit chief and MP VD Sharma, who secured a substantial victory in 2019. Responding to the disqualification, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the rejection as a “murder of democracy,” questioning why the form was initially accepted if there were issues with it.
On the other hand, VD Sharma from the BJP expressed surprise over the opposition candidate’s disqualification but affirmed his party’s enthusiasm for electoral battles in Khajuraho.
Sources By Agencies