By Admin 
The election for the third Rajya Sabha seat of Madhya Pradesh has reached an interesting turn. BJP has fielded the Chairman of Fishermen Welfare Board against Congress candidate. Both the candidates will file nominations on Monday (June 8).
What does the mathematics of the assembly say?
Effective MLA: 228
Victory figure per seat for 3 Rajya Sabha seats: 58 votes
BJP: 164 MLAs
Congress: 64 MLAs
BAP: 1 MLA
MLA of Vijaypur seat will not be able to vote
BJP’s position
BJP has 164 MLAs.
To win two seats, 58-58 i.e. 116 votes are required.
After casting 116 votes, BJP will be left with 48 votes.
To win the third seat, 58 votes are required.
That means, to make BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat win, the party will need at least 10 additional votes.
Congress position:
The effective votes of Congress are considered to be 63. If BAP gets the support of MLA then the number can reach 64.
Votes required for victory:58
Possible votes: 63 to 64
In this situation, Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan appears to be 5 to 6 votes ahead of the victory figure.
What could be BJP’s strategy?
BJP’s claim for the third seat entirely depends on political management and possible cross voting.
Possible equation:
BJP’s own votes: 48
Additional requirements for victory: 10 votes
This means that BJP will have to ensure the support or cross voting of at least 10 votes from the opposition camp. If Congress keeps all its MLAs united and has the support of BAP, then mathematically the third seat appears to be in favor of Congress.
Why did political unrest increase?
Fielding a third candidate by BJP clearly indicates that the party does not just want a formal contest but wants to make the elections competitive. On the other hand, Congress has also given a message of unity by instructing all the MLAs to compulsorily attend the nomination program.