Bhopal, April 3 (NationPress) The membership of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti from Datia has been officially revoked from the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly due to his conviction in a fraud case involving a cooperative bank, as determined by a Delhi court.

Following his conviction, which resulted in a three-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs 100,000 on April 2, 2026, and in accordance with the Supreme Court's directive dated July 10, 2013, Rajendra Bharti is now disqualified from the Legislative Assembly, effective from April 2, 2026. This is in line with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, in conjunction with Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution. Consequently, his seat in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly is now vacant,” stated a notification issued by the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly on April 2.

This development unfolded late Thursday, mere hours after the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi announced the sentencing details for Bharti and a co-defendant in the case.

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari and senior leader P.C. Sharma made a visit to the Assembly secretary's office late Thursday night, voicing their concerns about the late-night operations of the secretariat.

Patwari accused the Assembly Secretariat of being opened specifically for the purpose of facilitating Bharti's membership cancellation.

The court found Bharti guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for cheating), and 471 (use of forged documents).

The charges stem from allegations of forgery, cheating, and criminal conspiracy related to a bank fixed deposit in the name of Bharti’s mother, Savitri Devi Shyam, dating back to 1998.

While convicting Bharti and co-defendant Raghuvir Sharan Prajapati, the court noted that they, along with Savitri Devi and possibly others, had engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the complainant bank, the Zila Sahkari Krishi Aur Gramin Vikas Bank, Datia. They continued to receive interest at an inflated rate beyond 2011, despite the original fixed deposit's three-year term.

Interestingly, it was Bharti himself who petitioned the Supreme Court to move his trial from the MP/MLA Court in Gwalior to Delhi.

Notably, Bharti secured the Datia seat in the 2023 Assembly elections by defeating the BJP's three-time MLA and prominent Home Minister, Narottam Mishra. Previously, he had been the runner-up to Mishra in the elections of 2008, 2013, and 2018.

This situation arises just two months ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, where three seats are set to be contested as the terms for three Rajya Sabha MPs from the state—Digvijaya Singh (Congress), Union Minister George Kurian (BJP), and Sumer Singh Solanki (BJP)—are expiring on June 21, 2026.