Resort politics returns ahead of Rajya Sabha election:Congress plans to shift MP, Jharkhand MLAs ahead of...

Resort politics returns ahead of Rajya Sabha election:Congress plans to shift MP, Jharkhand MLAs ahead of Rajya Sabha polls

The Congress is considering moving its Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand MLAs to a party-ruled state, possibly Karnataka or Telangana, ahead of the June 18 Rajya Sabha elections.

According to PTI, the move came after the BJP fielded a surprise third candidate. The proposal is aimed at keeping the party's flock together amid concerns of possible cross-voting in the election for three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh, the sources said.

The 230-member state assembly makes up the electoral college for the Rajya Sabha election. With the assembly's effective strength at 229, a candidate requires 58 first-preference votes to secure election to the Upper House of Parliament.

The ruling BJP, which has 164 MLAs, is assured of winning two seats with 116 votes and has fielded party national general secretary Tarun Chugh and state unit secretary Rajneesh Agrawal.

The contest for the third seat became more intriguing after the BJP on Monday fielded Mahesh Kewat, chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare Board, as its third candidate.

While Chugh and Agrawal filed their nomination papers on Saturday, Kewat entered the fray on the last day for filing nominations.

The BJP had been keeping cards close to its chest, and fielded Kewat only after three days of deliberations and keeping its central leadership in the loop, party insiders said.

The Congress has nominated former MP Meenakshi Natarajan and remains confident of retaining enough support to secure her election, even as Kewat's entry has added a new dimension to the contest.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) held a late-night meeting at the residence of Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar. The legislators were consulted on the proposal to move them out of Madhya Pradesh until polling, an aide to the LoP told PTI.

The move came following a suggestion from the central leadership.

The MLAs could leave the state as early as Tuesday if the proposal receives the approval of the Congress high command, he said.

The Congress currently has 64 MLAs in the 230-member MP assembly. However, one legislator is ineligible to vote following a Supreme Court order, while Sagar MLA Nirmala Sapre, who publicly shared the stage with BJP leaders in recent months, has remained absent from the Congress Legislature Party meetings.

To win the third seat, the BJP needs eight more votes to reach the required number of 58, even if it gets the votes of Sapre and tribal political outfit Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) leader Kamlesh Dodiyar.

What is happening in Jharkhand?

According to News18 Hindi, a similar strategy is being contemplated in Jharkhand, where the Congress is preparing to send all its 16 MLAs to Telangana.

Sources told News18 Hindi that Congress legislators could remain in Telangana until voting takes place on June 18.

While the party has not officially confirmed the move, sources told News18 Hindi that arrangements are being made to house legislators together at a resort in an apparent effort to prevent defections or any last-minute political surprises.

The Rajya Sabha election in Jharkhand has turned into a tighter contest after the BJP extended support to independent candidate Parimal Nathwani for the second seat.

The INDIA bloc currently commands 56 MLAs in the Assembly, and each candidate needs 28 first-preference votes to secure victory, making every vote crucial in the contest.

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