Charter flight to Bengaluru. Allegations of bags full of cash. A surprise candidate enters the race. Madhya Pradesh’s Rajya Sabha elections on June 18 have all the makings of a political drama. It raises a key question: Who will win the state’s third seat?
In 230 members Madhya Pradesh Assembly Rajya Sabha candidate needs 58 votes to ensure victory. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which won 164 seats in Parliament, is strong enough to easily win two of the three vacant seats. The party has fielded senior leaders Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agrawal.
Read also | Rajya Sabha elections: Congress to shift MLAs to Karnataka amid poaching fears
Enter a wildcard
The saffron party then announced a third candidate. The BJP’s Mahesh Kivat, president of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen’s Welfare Board, is set to contest against Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan.
Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav said, “The BJP has demonstrated its commitment to all sections of society by providing representation to [Mahesh Kevat] In the Senate,” according to the news agency ANI.
Numbers game
With 164 MLAs, the BJP needs 116 votes to win two Rajya Sabha seats, leaving it with 48 votes for its third candidate.
But Congress is dealing with a series of setbacks. The party has 61 MLAs left after MLA Rajendra Bharti was cancelled. the The Madhya Pradesh High Court also barred Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra from voting.
Nirmala Sapre, who was elected on a Congress ticket, is expected to support the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections, HT reported earlier. The party also has the support of Bharatiya Adivasi Party MLA Kamleshwar Dodiyar.
On paper, the Congress still appears to have a narrow lead in the contest for the third seat.
Read also | BJP fields third Rajya Sabha candidate in Madhya Pradesh contest
Why is Congress flying MLAs to Bengaluru?
If the numbers look in favor Congress, why are MLAs taking flights to Karnataka? The answer lies in the party’s fear of downvotes and defections.
Congress leaders alleged that BJP functionaries contacted some of their legislators and offered them money before the elections. Opposition leader Umang Sengar claimed that some MLAs informed him that the saffron party wanted to “buy them” and approached them “with bags full of currency notes,” PTI reported. The BJP has denied these allegations.
To avoid any surprises, the Congress decided to shift its lawmakers to Bengaluru, where they are expected to remain until voting day. Why Karnataka? Because a A state governed by Congress. The legislators are being transported in batches and are likely to return to Bhopal shortly before the polls on June 18.
BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said Congress would not have needed to expel its members from the state if it was confident of their support.
Party leaders insist the aim is to keep the herd together. “They are trying to kill constitutional rights, but we will not allow it,” Congress member Vikrant Boria said on Monday, HT reported earlier.
Shadow 2020
Congress’ concerns are based on a political incident that occurred six years ago. In 2020, Kamal Nath’s government subsequently collapsed Jyotiraditya Scindia and 22 MLAs of Congress changed their stance. This paved the way for the BJP’s return to power in Madhya Pradesh.
This remains one of the biggest setbacks for the Congress in the state.
Madhya Pradesh elections 2026
The Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for June 18 will see voting on 24 seats in 10 states, as the BJP-led NDA looks to bolster its numbers in the Senate.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is currently the largest party in the country The Rajya Sabha has 113 members, while the BJP-led NDA has 149 members in the 245-member House. Of the 24 seats that will go to polls, 12 are held by the BJP and four are held by the Congress.
By-elections will also be held for one seat each in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
(With inputs from Shruti Tomar)
