Speaking to reporters, LoP Singhar leveled serious allegations against the ruling dispensation, claiming that the BJP was actively trying to “buy” opposition lawmakers.
“Some of our MLAs told me that BJP members approached them with bags full of notes, but they turned them away,” Singhar claimed, asserting that the BJP’s “conspiracies” would fail on polling day.
Congress MLAs Yadavendra Singh and Babu Jandel confirmed the relocation plan, while Saunsar legislator Vijay Revanath Choure reportedly said that the MLAs were being shifted specifically to Bengaluru. While Yadavendra Singh admitted that a few MLAs were initially reluctant to leave the state, he noted that they complied because it was a directive from the party high command.
The opposition camp is treading with extreme caution, haunted by the memory of the 2020 political crisis when a rebellion by Jyotiraditya Scindia and 22 MLAs successfully toppled the Kamal Nath-led Congress government.
The Numbers Game
The current political maneuvering centers around three vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh. Under the rules of the 230-member state assembly—which serves as the electoral college—a candidate requires 58 first-preference votes to secure a seat.
With the assembly’s effective strength currently at 229, the math initially seemed straightforward with the BJP with 164 MLAs comfortably assured of winning two seats, requiring 116 votes. The party has fielded national general secretary Tarun Chugh and state unit secretary Rajneesh Agrawal. The Congress with 64 MLAs looks well-positioned to claim the third seat, having nominated former MP Meenakshi Natarajan.
However, the contest took an unexpected turn after the BJP fielded a third candidate: Mahesh Kewat, chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare Board.
While the Congress technically has enough numbers to secure Natarajan’s victory, its safety margin is shrinking due to legal battles and internal friction. Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti’s membership (Datia) was recently revoked. Furthermore, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has barred Mukesh Malhotra, the Congress MLA from Vijaypur, from casting his vote. A petition is pending in the High Court seeking the termination of Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre’s membership. Sapre, who met with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday, is widely expected to cross-vote for the BJP candidate.
Accounting for these setbacks, the Congress’s effective strength could drop from 64 to 62. While this still leaves them with four more votes than the required 58, the party is leaving nothing to chance. Meanwhile, after utilizing 116 votes for its primary two candidates, the BJP will hold 48 surplus votes, meaning it needs to engineer a layout of 10 additional votes to pull off an upset victory for Kewat.
Nearly 60 Congress MLAs attended Monday’s emergency meeting in person. One MLA missed the session due to being in Delhi, while veteran leader Kamal Nath joined the deliberations virtually.
