HC sets aside Vijaypur poll result, declares Rawat elected MLA
In a major political development in Madhya Pradesh, the High Court on Monday set aside the result of the Vijaypur Assembly by-election and declared former state forest minister Ramniwas Rawat as the elected MLA. The court held that the election of Congress candidate Mukesh Malhotra was invalid due to incorrect and incomplete information provided in his nomination papers and election affidavit.
The verdict has brought a major shift in the political scenario of the Vijaypur constituency, as Mukesh Malhotra’s membership of the Assembly now stands cancelled. The court observed that the inaccuracies and omissions in the nomination documents amounted to a violation of the Election Commission’s rules and compromised the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
The case stemmed from an election petition filed by Ramniwas Rawat nearly 11 months ago. In his petition, Rawat had challenged the validity of the by-election and alleged that the Congress candidate had concealed important details in his election affidavit, including information related to his criminal background and other mandatory disclosures required during the nomination process.
After hearing arguments from both parties and examining the records, the court completed the final hearing earlier and reserved its judgment. Delivering the verdict on Monday, the court concluded that the irregularities in the nomination papers made the election legally invalid and therefore declared Rawat as the rightful winner.
In the Vijaypur by-election, Mukesh Malhotra had earlier defeated Ramniwas Rawat, who was serving as the state’s forest minister at that time. However, with the High Court’s decision, Rawat has now been recognised as the elected representative of the constituency. The High Court has, however, stayed the implementation of its order for 15 days, allowing Mukesh Malhotra an opportunity to challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court. The order will come into effect only after the completion of this period if the apex court does not grant any interim relief.
Leader of the Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Assembly Umag Singhar said, “We respect the decision of the court. The Congress party will consult legal experts and review all legal aspects of the judgment. After this process, we will challenge the decision by filing an appeal before the Supreme Court.”
The people of Vijaypur had given their mandate to the Congress party, and the public continues to stand with us. We are hopeful that justice will be delivered by the Supreme Court, Singhasr added.
The ruling has triggered strong political reactions in the region. Congress leaders have expressed disappointment over the judgment, while supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party have welcomed the decision.
Ramniwas Rawat described the judgment as a victory of justice and said that truth had ultimately prevailed. On the other hand, Mukesh Malhotra said he would approach the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision and expressed confidence that he would get relief.
The development has intensified political activity in the Vijaypur constituency, with the High Court’s ruling drawing attention to the importance of transparency and accuracy in the electoral process and the legal consequences of discrepancies in nomination documents.
