Rajendra Bharti, a Congress Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Datia in Madhya Pradesh, was disqualified from the Assembly after being sentenced to three years in prison for cheating the Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank. The disqualification was enacted by the State Assembly Secretariat, which declared the Datia constituency vacant following Bharti's conviction on April 2, 2026. This action has sparked criticism from the Congress party, which alleges that the Assembly Secretariat acted hastily, opening late at night to issue the notification despite Bharti being granted 60 days to appeal the ruling. State Congress president Jitu Patwari accused Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar of bias, pointing to pending cases against other lawmakers and suggesting that the decision was politically motivated to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In defense, Tomar stated that the disqualification was mandated by Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which disqualifies individuals convicted of crimes with sentences of two years or more. The Congress party intends to seek legal recourse against the disqualification.