Congress Strategizes to Prevent Cross Voting in Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha Elections

Congress Takes Measures Ahead of Rajya Sabha Voting

In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress party has decided to relocate its legislators to a Congress-ruled state to maintain unity and avoid cross voting during the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for June 18. A party legislator shared this information on Tuesday.

Umang Singhhar, the leader of the opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, stated in a conversation that all party legislators would be taken to a Congress-ruled state due to alleged attempts by the BJP to poach their members.

He mentioned that some legislators reported being approached by BJP representatives with bags full of cash, which they rejected.

Claims of BJP's Malicious Intent

Singhhar asserted that the BJP's plans would be thwarted on the voting day. Vijay Revnath Choure, a legislator from Saunsar, later confirmed in a discussion that all legislators are heading from Bhopal to Bengaluru.

He echoed Singhhar's claims regarding the BJP's attempts at bribery, leading the party's top leaders to decide on keeping the legislators together in a Congress-ruled state.

Other Congress legislators, including Yadavendra Singh and Babu Jandel, also confirmed the move to Karnataka.

Diverse Opinions Among Legislators

Singh mentioned that while some legislators were not in favor of being taken away, it was a decision made by the party leadership, and thus everyone is complying.

Among the three vacant seats for which elections are being held, the BJP is expected to secure two, while the Congress is believed to have an advantage for the third seat. However, the ruling party has also fielded a candidate for the third seat, complicating the contest.

The BJP has nominated national general secretary Tarun Chugh and state unit secretary Rajneesh Agrawal, with Mahesh Kevat, the president of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare Board, contesting for the third seat.

Candidates and Election Dynamics

The Congress has put forward former MP Meenakshi Natarajan as their candidate, who is set to face Kevat. Chugh and Agrawal submitted their nomination papers on Saturday, while Natarajan and Kevat did so on Monday.

Earlier, a meeting of party leaders took place at Singhhar's residence late Monday night, attended by around 60 legislators. One legislator was absent due to being in Delhi, while senior leader Kamal Nath participated online.

Currently, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly has 229 members out of a total of 230, with the BJP holding 164 seats and the Congress 64. One seat belongs to the Bharat Adivasi Party, and the membership of Congress legislator Rajendra Bharti from Datia has been revoked, leaving one seat vacant.

Voting Requirements and Challenges

The voting for the three Rajya Sabha seats requires each candidate to secure 58 votes to win. Therefore, the BJP needs 116 votes to win two seats. After casting 116 votes from their 164, the BJP would have 48 votes remaining. To win the third seat, they require an additional 58 votes, meaning they need 10 extra votes.

If they manage to secure votes from Nirmala Sapre and Kamlesh Dodiyar of the Bharat Adivasi Party, their count could rise to 50. However, they would still need at least eight more votes to secure victory.

The Congress alleges that the BJP is attempting to achieve this by infiltrating their ranks.

Potential Impact of Legislative Dynamics

Due to Sapre's stance and the court's stay on Malhotra's voting, the effective strength of the Congress could dwindle to 62. Nevertheless, the Congress has four more votes than the required number to win.

It is noteworthy that in 2020, the BJP managed to topple the then Congress government led by Kamal Nath by bringing 22 legislators, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, into their fold. Scindia currently serves as a minister in the central government.

Voting for the three Rajya Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh is set for June 18, with the last day for nominations being Monday.