Madhya Pradesh Congress Takes Precautionary Measures Ahead of Rajya Sabha Elections

Congress Moves MLAs to Karnataka to Prevent BJP Poaching

Bhopal: On Tuesday, leaders from the Madhya Pradesh Congress party accused the BJP of attempting to poach their members ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for June 18. To counter this, the Congress has decided to relocate its MLAs to Karnataka, a state governed by the Congress, to maintain party unity and prevent any cross-voting.

The electoral college for the Rajya Sabha election consists of the 230-member state Assembly, which currently has an effective strength of 229. A candidate needs 58 first-preference votes to secure a seat in the Upper House.

The ruling BJP, holding 164 MLAs, is expected to win two seats with 116 votes and has nominated Tarun Chugh, the party's national general secretary, and Rajneesh Agrawal, the state unit secretary, as candidates.

Additionally, the BJP has introduced Mahesh Kewat, the chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare Board, as its third candidate.

The Congress has put forward former MP Meenakshi Natarajan and is optimistic about retaining sufficient support for her election, especially with Kewat's candidacy adding complexity to the race.

A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) took place late Monday at the residence of Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, where the proposal to move MLAs out of Madhya Pradesh until the election was discussed.

According to Saunsar legislator Vijay Revanath Choure, all Congress MLAs are being relocated to Bengaluru. MLAs Yadavendra Singh and Babu Jandel confirmed this move.

LoP Singhar accused the BJP of attempting to 'buy' Congress MLAs, asserting that all members would be moved to a Congress-ruled state.

He claimed that some MLAs reported being approached by BJP members with 'bags full of notes,' which they rejected.

Singhar expressed confidence that the BJP's 'conspiracies' would not succeed on election day.

Yadavendra Singh mentioned that while some MLAs were hesitant about the relocation, the decision came from the party's high command, and all were being moved.

The BJP is allegedly trying to create divisions within the Congress ranks, according to opposition leaders.

Out of the three vacant seats in the state, the BJP is likely to win two, while the Congress has a stronger chance for the third seat.

Approximately 60 Congress MLAs attended the meeting at Singhar's residence, with one MLA absent due to being in Delhi, while senior leader Kamal Nath participated virtually.

Currently, the effective strength of the assembly stands at 229, with the BJP holding 164 seats and the Congress 64, while the Bharat Adivasi Party has one seat. The membership of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti from Datia has been revoked, leaving one seat vacant.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has prohibited Mukesh Malhotra, Congress MLA from Vijaypur, from voting.

A petition has also been filed in the High Court seeking the termination of Nirmala Sapre's assembly membership, as she is expected to vote for the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha election. Sapre met with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday.

In this context, the Congress's effective strength could drop to 62, yet it would still have four more votes than necessary to win.

Each candidate for the three Rajya Sabha seats requires 58 votes to win. Thus, the BJP needs 116 votes to secure two seats, leaving them with 48 remaining votes after achieving the required number.

The Congress is adopting a cautious strategy, recalling the 2020 political crisis when the BJP toppled the Kamal Nath-led government by luring Jyotiraditya Scindia and 22 other MLAs. Scindia is now a minister in the NDA-led Union cabinet.