Rajya Sabha polls: M.P. Congress mulls moving MLAs away as BJP fields candidate on third seat

Mahesh Kewat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also joined the fray soon after Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan filed her nomination on Monday, June 8, 2026, confirming that there is intense competition for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats that will go to polls on June 18.

The name of Mr Kewat, an OBC leader from the Bundelkhand region and chairman of the State’s Fishermen’s Welfare Board, was announced late on Sunday following meetings of senior State BJP leaders in Bhopal over the weekend and a nod from the party’s national leadership.

The BJP’s move put the Congress on alert mode, with Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Umang Singhar hosting party MPs and senior leaders for dinner at his residence and discussing election strategy. A senior party leader, who was present at the dinner meeting, said options such as moving MLAs to a Congress-ruled state like Karnataka or Telangana were being considered and a report would be sent to the national leadership. “Talks are on regarding relocation of MLAs to Bengaluru or Hyderabad, around 20 of them said they have received communication from the BJP regarding offers,” the leader said, requesting anonymity. he said.

The three vacant seats in Madhya Pradesh are currently held by Union Minister George Kurien, BJP MP Sumer Singh Solanki and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

The BJP, which is poised to win two seats, has around 48 MLA votes, 10 short of the minimum number of votes required for a seat – 58. The party had earlier announced national general secretary Tarun Chugh and Foreign Affairs unit secretary Rajneesh Agrawal as candidates for the two seats.

Congress now has 62 legal votes, enough to secure one seat. The announcement of Mr. Kewat’s candidature led Congress leaders to accuse the BJP of trying to engage in horse-trading, while also claiming that all MLAs were supporting Ms. Natarajan, a former Lok Sabha member who is considered close to party leader Rahul Gandhi.

MP Congress leader Jitu Patwari alleged that the BJP’s stance on reservations for women in parliament and legislatures is “hollow”. “BJP had called a special session [of Parliament and the State Assembly] “A few days ago but today, when a woman got an opportunity from the Congress, she fielded the third candidate even though it was less than the required number,” he said.

‘War of ideology’

Ms. Natarajan, who is also the Congress’s Telangana in-charge, described the election as a fight between “Gandhian ideology and the divisive politics of the BJP”. “BJP has fielded its third candidate and now this is a war of ideology for democratic and constitutional values ​​as well as for us. This is a fight for honorable politics. We will fight in unity and we will win,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav described Mr. Kewat’s candidacy as an effort to provide representation to OBC communities. Various other senior BJP leaders rejected accusations of horse-trading while expressing confidence that the party would win all three seats.