- The BJP fields Mahesh Kevat for Madhya Pradesh's third Rajya Sabha seat against Congress's Meenakshi Natarajan
- Kevat's past expulsion and return to BJP adds complexity to the high-stakes contest
- BJP's strategy tests Congress's unity amid fears of cross-voting and MLA poaching
The contest for Madhya Pradesh's third Rajya Sabha seat has turned from a predictable numbers game into a high-stakes political battle, with the BJP signalling confidence and the Congress bracing for a fight.
The shift became evident on Saturday when two BJP candidates filed their nominations and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, when asked about the third seat, responded with a pointed remark: "The third seat will be won - where else would it go?". A day later, the BJP backed the assertion by fielding Mahesh Kevat, Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare Board, against Congress nominee Meenakshi Natarajan.
The move has dramatically raised the stakes because, on paper, the Congress has the numbers to win one seat comfortably but BJP's decision to field Kevat means the party is now openly testing the Congress camp's unity, discipline and vulnerability to cross-voting.
Earlier, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya had indicated that if the party fielded a third candidate, it would work to ensure his victory. That statement now appears less like speculation and more like strategy.
Mahesh Kevat's candidature is politically interesting for another reason. In 2022, Kevat and ten other BJP workers were expelled for alleged anti-party activity during the Niwari Municipal Council elections after they reportedly voted in favour of the Congress candidate. The expulsion was for six years, but the order was later revoked and Kevat returned to the party fold. Now, the same leader has been pushed into one of the most sensitive electoral contests in the state.
Mahesh Kevat's profile also gives the BJP a strong social-engineering pitch. Coming from the Kevat community and currently serving as Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare Board with cabinet-rank status, his nomination appears aimed at sending a message to traditional fishing communities. Associated with the RSS since 1984 and active in BJP politics since 1995, Kevat has worked his way through the organisation from councillor to vice-president of Orchha Municipal Council and now a Rajya Sabha contender.
The final decision on Kevat was taken after a crucial one-hour meeting at the Chief Minister's residence on Sunday evening. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, BJP state in-charge Dr. Mahendra Singh, regional organisation secretary Ajay Jamwal, state president Hemant Khandelwal and senior leaders discussed the nomination and floor strategy.
The BJP legislature party had already met late Saturday night, where all party MLAs were reportedly instructed to remain in Bhopal until June 8.
On Monday, the political theatre will shift to the Assembly. At 1:30 pm, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, senior BJP leaders, ministers, MLAs and office-bearers will gather at the state BJP office before moving in a show-of-strength rally to the Vidhan Sabha, where Mahesh Kevat will file his nomination. BJP candidates Tarun Chugh and Rajnish Agrawal had already filed their nominations on Saturday.
At the same time, Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan will also file her nomination, accompanied by former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, PCC chief Jitu Patwari, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar and Congress MLAs. Congress has made the presence of all its MLAs mandatory, projecting unity after earlier signs of discomfort within the party. Reports said the party had already held a meeting in Bhopal where MLAs publicly backed Natarajan.
But beneath the public display of unity, anxiety is visible. With the BJP entering the third-seat contest, Congress is now considering moving its MLAs to Telangana or Karnataka to prevent poaching or cross-voting. The Telangana link is significant because Meenakshi Natarajan is also the Congress in-charge of Telangana.
The real drama lies in the arithmetic. The effective strength of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly is being counted at 228. The winning quota for each Rajya Sabha seat is 58 votes. BJP has 164 MLAs, enough to comfortably win two seats with 116 votes and still be left with 48 surplus votes. To win the third seat, the BJP needs 10 additional votes.
Congress, on the other hand, has 64 MLAs, but with one MLA not voting and uncertainty around others, its effective strength may come down to around 61 just three votes above the required mark. The contest now depends on whether Congress can keep every MLA firmly in line or whether the BJP can engineer the 10-vote swing it needs.
