Kumar Bahukhandi
Ramniwas Rawat, who came in second in the by-election, will become the MLA. (Photo: ITG)
A major turnaround has occurred in Madhya Pradesh politics. The Gwalior High Court has declared the election of Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra from the Vijaypur assembly seat void. A bench headed by Justice G.S. Ahluwalia delivered this historic verdict, declaring BJP leader Ramniwas Rawat the new MLA from Vijaypur.
The Congress party has suffered a major setback in the Vijaypur assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh. The Gwalior High Court bench has declared the election of Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra void. The court not only annulled Malhotra’s election but also ordered the petitioner and BJP leader Ramniwas Rawat, who came in second in the by-election, to be declared the new MLA from Vijaypur.
Indeed, BJP leader and former minister Ramniwas Rawat had filed an election petition in the High Court. The petition alleged that Mukesh Malhotra had concealed information about his criminal record in his nomination papers during the by-election.
Allegation of concealment of facts
Ram Niwas Rawat informed the court that six criminal cases were registered against Malhotra, which he had not mentioned in his affidavit.
Court’s Decision
After hearing the case, Justice G.S. Ahluwalia’s bench held that concealing crucial facts was a violation of election law. The court declared Mukesh Malhotra’s election invalid and declared Ram Niwas Rawat elected.
What is the whole matter?
Ram Niwas Rawat won the 2023 assembly elections on a Congress ticket. Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Ram Niwas Rawat joined the BJP and was directly appointed a cabinet minister in the Mohan Yadav government. A by-election was then held in Vijaypur. However, Ram Niwas Rawat faced defeat in the by-election and was forced to resign from his ministerial post.
Ram Niwas Rawat then approached the High Court against the Congress MLA. The Madhya Pradesh High Court had been hearing a case alleging that Mukesh Malhotra had provided false information about his criminal record in his election affidavit. The High Court has now issued its decision.
Mukesh Malhotra was also a former Minister of State in the BJP government.
Mukesh Malhotra is considered a prominent tribal leader in the region. He served as a Minister of State with independent status in the BJP government. He contested the 2023 elections as an independent candidate and secured approximately 45,000 votes. Subsequently, in May 2024, he joined the Congress party in the presence of Priyanka Gandhi. The Sahariya tribal community has over 70,000 votes in the Vijaypur constituency, which is why the Congress party had staked its claim on him.
This decision has been a major lifeline for Ramniwas Rawat, who previously served in the Congress party and later joined the BJP. This ruling eliminates the need for a by-election for the Vijaypur seat; instead, Rawat will directly assume the responsibility as MLA.
Congress can now approach the Supreme Court against this decision, but at present the Vijaypur seat has slipped out of the hands of Congress.
