Declaring full readiness for the Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar stated that the Congress had completed all arrangements. The party is set to discuss its strategy at a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Bhopal.
Singhar informed the press that the AICC had chosen Meenakshi Natarajan as the Congress candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls. Natarajan’s extensive organizational experience and long-standing commitment to the party’s principles and public causes have instilled confidence in her candidacy. The CLP meeting in Indira Bhawan was scheduled shortly after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agarwal submitted their nominations in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and other senior BJP leaders.
The political significance of the CLP meeting escalated amid speculations regarding the BJP potentially fielding a third candidate. Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya’s statement on BJP workers ensuring victory for a third candidate, if fielded, stirred discussions. Despite the BJP announcing only two candidates, Vijayvargiya’s comments fueled talks of potential cross-voting.
Singhar mentioned that the Congress Legislature Party meeting would focus on the Rajya Sabha election, organizational coordination, and the overall strategy for the upcoming electoral process. Congress leaders are expected to support Natarajan’s candidacy, with sources indicating her likely nomination filing on the same day, ahead of the June 8 deadline.
Elections are set for three Rajya Sabha seats in the state, with the BJP holding 165 MLAs in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly. The Congress, with 66 MLAs (two disqualified), faces uncertainties over the status of Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre, who shifted allegiance from Congress to BJP. The election, requiring 58 votes for victory, is anticipated to test the organizational discipline of both parties amid the BJP’s third-candidate speculation dominating political discourse.
