Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Cross-voting by Congress legislators in Bihar, Haryana and Odisha during recent Rajya Sabha (RS) elections has raised concerns within the Madhya Pradesh Congress ahead of upcoming polls for three RS seats.
In Bihar, three legislators were reportedly absent during voting. In Haryana and Odisha, Congress legislators voted in favour of rival candidates. The party has taken action against three legislators in Odisha.
The developments have unsettled Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh, where RS elections for three seats are likely to be held in June.
Based on current numbers, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to win two seats, while the Congress is likely to secure one. However, the Congress fears that the BJP may field an additional candidate, which could upset its calculations if cross-voting occurs.
During the Presidential election, around 12 Congress legislators reportedly voted in favour of President Droupadi Murmu, though no action was taken against them.
In recent months, the Congress has also faced defections. Legislator Kamlesh Pratap Singh from Amarwada and former legislator Ramniwas Rawat from Vijaipur joined the BJP. Bina legislator Nirmala Sapre is also supporting the BJP and has not resigned from the Assembly. The matter is currently pending in court.
Congress leaders remain wary due to the 2020 political crisis, when the BJP came to power in Madhya Pradesh following defections from the Congress.
Party sources said that if the BJP fields a third candidate in the upcoming RS elections, it may indicate an attempt to engineer cross-voting once again.
Concerns have also been raised within the party over some leaders allegedly maintaining proximity with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Mathematics in MP
Total legislators in Madhya Pradesh: 230
RS seats to be contested: 3
Votes required to win one seat: 58
BJP strength: 164 MLAs
After winning two seats, BJP will have 48 MLAs remaining
Congress strength: 65 MLAs, may reduce to 63
Possible support of Nirmala Sapre to BJP
To win the third seat, BJP would need support through cross-voting by at least eight MLAs
