The race for Madhya Pradesh’s third Rajya Sabha seat has intensified with the BJP nominating Mahesh Kevat as a candidate, leading to strategic cross-voting calculations. With just 48 votes left after the first two seats, the BJP aims to secure at least 10 additional votes from Congress MLAs for victory. Kevat, a member of the Kevat community from Niwari in the Bundelkhand region, filed his nomination on the final submission day.
His selection as a candidate came as a last-minute decision following intense discussions among senior BJP leaders and approval from the central leadership. Party strategists view Kevat’s community influence in Bundelkhand and his grassroots connections as crucial assets. Despite facing expulsion from the BJP for six years due to alleged anti-party activities, Kevat managed to return to the party, leveraging his RSS background.
Kevat’s political journey saw a recent upturn when he was appointed as the Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare and Fisheries Development Board by the state government on April 24. The terms of three Rajya Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh are concluding on June 21, with the BJP and Congress each holding two and one seat, respectively. While former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh opted out of re-contesting, Congress has nominated Meenakshi Natarajan for the seat alongside BJP’s Rajnish Agrawal and Tarun Chugh.
