Congress flies MP MLAs to Bengaluru ahead of Rajya Sabha vote amid BJP cross-voting fear
Synopsis
With only four surplus votes separating Congress nominee Meenakshi Natarajan from defeat, the party has airlifted 45-50 Madhya Pradesh MLAs to BJP-rival Karnataka — a dramatic defensive move triggered by the BJP fielding a surprise third Rajya Sabha candidate. If just 10-12 Congress legislators defect, the BJP could sweep all three seats from the state.
Key Takeaways
The Congress flew around 45-50 Madhya Pradesh MLAs to Bengaluru on Tuesday ahead of the Rajya Sabha election .
The move was triggered by the BJP 's decision to field a third candidate, Mahesh Kevat , leveraging its 49-vote surplus in the 230-member Assembly .
Congress nominee Meenakshi Natarajan needs 58 first-preference votes to win; the party holds 62 seats , leaving a margin of only 4 votes .
The BJP would need 10-12 Congress MLAs to cross-vote to secure Kevat's victory.
Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar and former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh were present at Raja Bhoj Airport as the MLAs departed.
The Indian National Congress on Tuesday airlifted its Madhya Pradesh legislators to Bengaluru amid mounting fears of cross-voting in the upcoming Rajya Sabha election, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s decision to field a third candidate transformed an otherwise predictable contest into a high-stakes political showdown.
The Departure from Bhopal
A batch of Congress legislators departed from Bhopal's Raja Bhoj Airport for Bengaluru, with a second group scheduled to follow later in the evening. According to reports, around 45 to 50 legislators — some accompanied by family members — travelled in the first chartered flight arranged by the party. Before departing, the MLAs assembled at the residence of Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar. Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh also visited the airport and interacted with the departing legislators.
The Numbers Behind the Anxiety
The arithmetic of the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly explains the Congress camp's unease. The BJP currently holds 165 seats in the Assembly. Since a Rajya Sabha candidate requires 58 first-preference votes for victory, the ruling party needs 116 votes to comfortably secure its first two candidates — Rajneesh Agarwal and Tarun Chugh. After accounting for those two seats, the BJP still commands a surplus of 49 votes, and it is on the strength of this surplus that the party has entered the race for the third seat by fielding Mahesh Kevat.
However, the BJP still falls short of the 58 votes required for Kevat's victory and would need the support of around 10 to 12 Congress MLAs or other legislators to push him over the line.
Congress Margin Is Razor-Thin
The Congress holds 62 MLAs in the Assembly — just enough to elect its nominee, Meenakshi Natarajan, who filed her nomination papers alongside BJP's Kevat. With 58 votes required for victory, the party has a surplus of only four votes. This wafer-thin margin means that even a handful of defections could derail Natarajan's candidacy and potentially hand the BJP all three Rajya Sabha seats from the state.
What the Congress Said
Defending the decision to relocate legislators to Karnataka — where the Congress is in power — Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar said the party had full confidence in its MLAs but could not ignore what he characterised as the BJP's attempts to engineer defections. 'It is natural for us to take our MLAs to a Congress-ruled state. We have full faith in all 62 legislators, but we must remain vigilant against the BJP's politics of poaching and subversion. The BJP should focus on keeping its own MLAs united,' Singhar said.
A Familiar Political Playbook
The tactic of shifting legislators to a party-governed state ahead of sensitive votes has become a recurring feature of Indian state politics. This is not the first time Congress has moved MLAs out of Madhya Pradesh to prevent poaching — similar operations were mounted during periods of political uncertainty in the state in recent years. Notably, the move underscores the fragility of the Congress position in a state where the BJP holds a commanding legislative majority. All eyes are now on voting day, with the outcome likely to set the tone for political dynamics in Madhya Pradesh ahead of future electoral contests.
Point of View
By definition, operating on borrowed confidence. The BJP's decision to field Mahesh Kevat is a calculated gamble: it costs the party nothing if Kevat loses, but delivers a significant political blow if even a handful of Congress legislators peel away. What this episode also exposes is the continuing erosion of party discipline in Indian state legislatures, where individual MLAs are treated as assets to be secured rather than representatives with settled loyalties. The real question is not whether Congress can hold its flock in Bengaluru for a few days — it likely can — but why, a year after returning to power in Karnataka, the party still lacks the political authority to deter poaching attempts in a neighbouring state.
NationPress
6 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has Congress shifted its Madhya Pradesh MLAs to Bengaluru?
Congress moved around 45-50 Madhya Pradesh MLAs to Bengaluru to prevent cross-voting in the upcoming Rajya Sabha election. The party fears that the BJP, which has fielded a surprise third candidate, could engineer defections among Congress legislators to secure victory.
Who are the candidates in the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha election?
The BJP has fielded three candidates — Rajneesh Agarwal, Tarun Chugh, and Mahesh Kevat — for three vacancies. The Congress has nominated Meenakshi Natarajan. Both Natarajan and Kevat filed their nomination papers on the day before the MLAs were flown out.
How many votes does each candidate need to win a Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh?
A candidate requires 58 first-preference votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat from the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly. The BJP holds 165 seats, giving it a surplus of 49 votes after securing its first two candidates, while Congress holds 62 seats — just four more than required.
How many Congress MLAs would need to cross-vote for the BJP's third candidate to win?
According to reports, the BJP would need the support of around 10 to 12 Congress MLAs or other legislators for its third candidate, Mahesh Kevat, to secure the required 58 votes. Even limited defections could cost Congress nominee Meenakshi Natarajan her seat.
What did Congress leader Umang Singhar say about the decision?
Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar said the Congress had full faith in all 62 of its legislators but needed to stay vigilant. He said: 'We must remain vigilant against the BJP's politics of poaching and subversion. The BJP should focus on keeping its own MLAs united.'
