The contest for the third Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh intensified on Monday as BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat filed his nomination papers in the Vidhan Sabha. The move came hours after Congress nominee Meenakshi Natarajan submitted her papers, setting the stage for a direct fight on June 18.

Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, who accompanied Kewat along with state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal, expressed strong confidence. “I have full faith that the BJP will take its third candidate also on the path of victory,” Yadav said after the filing.

BJP Leaders Exude Confidence

Senior BJP leaders rallied behind the new candidate. Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya claimed that Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre remains firmly with the party. “We are fully confident of winning the third seat. Mahesh Kewat is an excellent candidate,” Vijayvargiya said. He also dismissed concerns over horse-trading, asserting trust in BJP MLAs.

Other leaders struck a similar note. Khajuraho MP VD Sharma talked of an “historic victory” extending to the third seat, while Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar said the party expected more votes than its current strength. Senior BJP functionaries, including Deputy CM Jagdish Devda, were present at the party office as activity picked up through the day.

Mahesh Kewat, who hails from Orchha in Bundelkhand, reached the assembly with senior leaders. His family had offered special prayers at Orchha earlier in the morning. Kewat himself said he would fulfil the responsibility given by the national leadership “100 per cent”.

Congress Shows United Front

On the Congress side, Meenakshi Natarajan filed her nomination in the presence of state president Jitu Patwari, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, former MP Digvijaya Singh and several MLAs. She struck a combative note, describing the contest as one of ideologies. “We will fight unitedly and we will win,” Natarajan said, accusing the BJP of lacking political morality.

Congress leaders projected strength despite the BJP’s surprise third candidate. “We have 64 MLAs and Meenakshi Natarajan will get 67 votes,” claimed Junnardeo MLA Sunil Uikey. Digvijaya Singh alleged the BJP fielded the extra candidate only to create confusion as it lacked sufficient votes.

Internal Dissent in Congress

The day also saw signs of unease within Congress ranks. Naresh Gyan Chandani, a two-time candidate from Bhopal’s Huzur seat and a Digvijaya Singh supporter, resigned from the party, reportedly upset over Natarajan’s selection. Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said the party would discuss the situation and decide on further steps, including possibly moving MLAs out of the state.

Some Congress MLAs, including Arif Masood, were reportedly shifted to Delhi amid speculation of horse-trading.

Background and Numbers Game

The third Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh became open after the term of a sitting member ended. BJP had already fielded Tarun Chugh and Rajnish Agrawal, who filed nominations on Saturday. The party finalised Kewat’s name late Sunday night after hectic deliberations at the CM House and BJP office involving central observers.

Congress has accused the BJP of resorting to tactics to poach or confuse its legislators. BJP leaders countered that every party has the right to field a candidate and they have surplus support.

The Election Commission has set June 18 as the polling date for the seat. With both sides claiming victory, the coming days are likely to see heightened political activity and closer scrutiny of MLAs’ movements in Bhopal.

Political observers note that the outcome will depend not just on numbers but also on how effectively each side manages its flock in what has become a high-stakes prestige battle ahead of future electoral cycles.

In Indian politics, a graceful exit is rarely just an exit. When a veteran leader steps back, what follows is almost always a fierce contest for the vacuum left behind. And in Madhya Pradesh Congress, that contest has already begun.

Veteran Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh has announced he will not seek a third term in the Rajya Sabha, with his current six-year tenure set to expire on April 9, 2026. Rewa Riyasat The announcement, delivered almost casually to reporters in Bhopal — "I am vacating my seat" — has set off a scramble inside the Congress that reveals everything about where the party stands today in MP.

Why Digvijaya Singh Is Stepping Back

The trigger, on the surface, was a letter. MP Congress Scheduled Caste Department President Pradeep Ahirwar wrote to Singh urging the party leadership to ensure a representative from the Scheduled Caste community takes the Rajya Sabha seat from MP, citing the need to strengthen Dalit self-respect, political participation, and constitutional values. New Kerala

Singh responded publicly and swiftly — almost too swiftly for a leader of his stature. He has since clarified that he personally requested the Congress high command not to field him for a third consecutive term, and that this decision should not be interpreted as retirement from active politics. IndiaMART

But political watchers are not entirely convinced that this was purely an act of social conscience.

The Pressure Within the Party

Senior political analyst Girija Shankar told Business Standard: "Whenever a leader makes such statements outside the party forum, it should be understood that his voice is no longer being heard within the party as it used to be. Some time ago, BJP's Uma Bharti did something similar." ANI News

This is a significant observation. Digvijaya Singh announcing such a major decision through a press conference — rather than through party channels — signals a leader sending a message upward, not downward.

Congress sources say Singh recently made a presentation at the Congress headquarters in Delhi regarding strengthening the MP Congress at the grassroots level and organisational reforms, with state in-charge Harish Chaudhary, PCC president Jitu Patwari, and Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar in attendance. ANI News The fact that he is already positioning himself as a party reformer — while stepping away from the Rajya Sabha — tells you he is not done. He is simply changing lanes.

Who Wants the Seat Now?

Three Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant in MP. Of these, two are expected to go to the BJP and one to the Congress. Names already circulating include former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, former MPCC president Arun Yadav, current state unit president Jitu Patwari, and several leaders from the SC/ST community. Business Today

This is where the real tension lies. The Congress in MP has been weakened significantly after successive electoral defeats — in the 2023 Assembly polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha results. Every aspirant knows that a Rajya Sabha berth may be their only path to staying politically relevant in the near term.

Singh's own electoral record adds context — he lost Lok Sabha elections in both 2019 and 2024. Amar Ujala The Rajya Sabha was, in many ways, the last institutional platform keeping him at the national table. Voluntarily giving it up — or being nudged to — is a moment that changes the Congress's power equation in MP irreversibly.

What This Means for Dalit Representation

Let us not lose sight of the real, substantive issue buried under the political theatre. As Ahirwar's letter highlighted, nearly 17% of Madhya Pradesh's population belongs to the Scheduled Caste community, and they remain significantly underrepresented in the Upper House. India TV News

Whether Congress actually follows through with an SC nominee — or whether the seat eventually goes to a more established upper-caste leader backed by internal lobbying — will be the true test of the party's commitment to inclusion.

Opinion: Graceful Exit or Forced Retreat?

Digvijaya Singh declared that he has always been active in the state and will keep fighting for people and the party until his last breath. IndiaMART Those are the words of a politician who knows his relevance is being questioned, and is determined to answer the critics through action.

His decision to focus on grassroots party building ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections — still over two years away — is either a smart political pivot or a face-saving retreat from a seat he could no longer hold with certainty. Perhaps both.

What is certain is this: the Rajya Sabha seat battle in MP is now the hottest political contest in central India. Congress's choice will reveal not just who gets the ticket, but what the Grand Old Party truly stands for in 2026 — power or principle.