Bhopal, June 8: The contest for Madhya Pradesh’s third Rajya Sabha seat has turned into an exciting game of cross-voting. In a surprising move, the BJP has nominated Mahesh Kevat as its candidate.
With only about 48 votes remaining after the first two seats, the BJP needs at least 10 additional votes from Congress legislators through cross-voting to secure a win in this intriguing electoral battle.
Mahesh Kevat, hailing from the Niwari district in the Bundelkhand region and belonging to the Kevat community (part of the OBC category), submitted his nomination papers on Monday.
His last-minute selection came after extensive discussions among senior BJP leaders over the weekend and approval from the central leadership. This decision aims to achieve social and regional balance within the party.
Party strategists view Kevat’s strong community influence and grassroots engagement in Bundelkhand as significant assets.
Kevat’s political career has seen its share of ups and downs. He was expelled from the BJP for six years due to allegations of anti-party activities during urban body elections. However, he leveraged his RSS background to make a comeback to the party.
Just weeks ago, on April 24, the state government appointed him as the chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare and Fish Development Board.
The terms of three members representing the state in the Rajya Sabha will end on June 21—two from the BJP and one from Congress, represented by former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, who has decided not to run for re-election. Congress has nominated Meenakshi Natarajan for this seat. The BJP has already announced the nominations of Rajneesh Agarwal and Tarun Chugh for the first two seats.
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