The development came as the party was preparing to move its MLAs out of Madhya Pradesh amid fears of cross-voting following the BJP's decision to field Mahesh Kewat, chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Fishermen Welfare Board, as its third candidate. The move had converted what Congress initially viewed as a numerically winnable contest into a high-pressure political test.
Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh had sought to project confidence and unity among Congress legislators before the scrutiny setback, holding discussions with party MLAs and senior leaders in Bhopal. The message from the party leadership was that its MLAs remained intact and that Natarajan, a former Lok Sabha member and senior organisation figure, had the numbers to win the third seat if the party vote held.
That calculation changed sharply after the returning officer rejected Natarajan's papers over an objection linked to the disclosure of a legal matter in Telangana. Congress leaders rejected the charge and accused the BJP of using procedural objections to eliminate a political contest. The party is expected to pursue remedies before the Election Commission, arguing that the rejection was disproportionate and politically loaded.
The BJP, which already commands a strong majority in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, had been comfortably placed to win two Rajya Sabha seats. Its nomination of Kewat for the third seat signalled an aggressive strategy aimed at testing Congress unity and possibly capitalising on abstentions, invalid votes or cross-voting. The BJP has 163 MLAs in the Assembly, while the Congress has 66, making the third seat dependent on disciplined voting and the final validity of nominations.
Kewat's candidature also carries a social message. A leader associated with riverine and fishermen communities, he was appointed chairman of the Fishermen Welfare Board earlier this year. His elevation to a Rajya Sabha contest has been framed by the BJP as part of a wider representational push, especially among backward and occupational communities that remain politically significant across the Hindi belt.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal were present when Kewat filed his nomination in Bhopal. The BJP's decision followed several days of internal deliberations, suggesting that the party had assessed both the arithmetic and the possibility of exploiting Congress vulnerability.
Congress's plan to shift MLAs to Karnataka reflected memories of 2020, when a rebellion led by Jyotiraditya Scindia and several MLAs brought down the Kamal Nath government and returned the BJP to power in Madhya Pradesh. Since then, the party has treated high-stakes legislative votes in the state with caution, particularly where the margin depends on full attendance and strict voting discipline.
The planned relocation was also designed to prevent informal contact between Congress MLAs and BJP managers during the campaign window. Such moves have become a familiar feature of tightly contested Rajya Sabha polls, where the single transferable vote system allows parties to test rival cohesion even when the numerical balance appears clear.
For Digvijaya Singh, the immediate challenge was twofold: to keep the party's legislators aligned and to counter the perception that the BJP had once again seized the initiative in Madhya Pradesh. His public emphasis on unity was meant to reassure the party cadre and prevent a narrative of drift after Kewat's entry.
Natarajan's rejected nomination, however, has shifted the fight from the Assembly floor to the procedural arena. If the rejection stands and no Congress candidate remains in the field, the BJP could move towards securing all three seats without a contest. If Congress succeeds in restoring Natarajan's candidature, the third seat would again become the focus of a direct BJP-Congress trial of strength.
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