The contest for the third Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh has taken a dramatic turn, turning into a closely watched political battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. The BJP has now fielded Mahesh Kevat, Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Matsya Kalyan Board, as its third candidate. Kevat will face Congress nominee Meenakshi Natarajan in what is emerging as a high-stakes electoral contest. With this move, the BJP has effectively added a new layer of complexity to the already competitive race.
According to sources, Mahesh Kevat is a seasoned party functionary with a long organisational background in the BJP. He has previously served as District Vice President in Tikamgarh, District Minister in Tikamgarh, and has also been associated with the party’s national executive committee.
The development follows a high-level strategy meeting held on Sunday evening at the Chief Minister’s residence. The meeting, which lasted nearly an hour, was attended by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, the state party president, and senior organisational leaders. Discussions focused on election strategy and nomination formalities, after which Kevat’s name was finalised as the party’s third nominee. Earlier, BJP candidates Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agrawal had already filed their nominations on Saturday, setting the stage for a multi-cornered political contest.
The BJP’s decision to introduce a third candidate has reportedly unsettled the Congress camp. Party insiders suggest that apprehensions over cross-voting and potential political realignments have prompted the Congress to consider relocating its legislators to Telangana as a precautionary measure to ensure unity ahead of the vote.
About the number game
In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the BJP holds 164 seats, while the Congress has 63 MLAs. However, two Congress legislators—Rajendra Bharti and Mukesh Malhotra—are ineligible to vote in the Rajya Sabha elections, reducing the party's effective strength in the Assembly to 61.
A candidate needs 58 first-preference votes to win a seat. After comfortably securing two seats, the BJP is still left with 48 surplus votes.
This means the party must rely on cross-voting or support from other legislators to secure a third seat, which has created unease within the Congress camp.
Other candidates announced by BJP for Rajya Sabha, Karnataka MLC polls
Besides Kewat, the saffron party has announced M Nagaraja as its candidate from Karnataka. In the Karnataka Legislative Council elections, the party has fielded Lingaraj Patil and Raghu Kautilya as its candidates. Both leaders are expected to play a key role in strengthening the BJP’s presence in the state legislature.
The announcement, cleared by the BJP’s highest election decision-making body, formally sets the stage for the party’s campaign in the upcoming upper house and legislative council contests.
BJP list of 11 candidates for Rajya Sabha polls
Earlier on June 4, the saffron party released a list of 11 candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls. Several leaders have been nominated from different states. From Gujarat, the BJP has fielded Rajubhai Shukla, Mukeshbhai Rathwa, Mansingh Parmar and Jitendra Meghjibhai Kanzariya. Tai Tagak has been nominated from Arunachal Pradesh, while A Sharda Devi will contest from Manipur.
For Madhya Pradesh, the party has selected Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agrawal as its candidates. In Rajasthan, the BJP has named Alka Gurjar and Satish Poonia for the Rajya Sabha polls. Debashish Samantaray has been chosen as the party’s candidate from Odisha.
The Rajya Sabha elections will take place on June 18, with voting scheduled for 24 seats spread across 10 states.
