Bhopal, June 6 (IANS) Declaring that the Congress was “fully prepared” for the Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said on Saturday that the party had finalised all preparations and would discuss strategy at a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Bhopal.

“The AICC has finalised Meenakshi Natarajan’s name as the Congress candidate for the Rajya Sabha election. She has vast organisational experience and a long association with the party’s ideology and public movements. We are confident about her candidature,” Singhar told reporters ahead of the CLP meeting at Indira Bhawan here.

The meeting was convened hours after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominees Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agarwal filed their nominations in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, State BJP President Hemant Khandelwal and other senior leaders.

The political significance of the CLP meeting grew amid speculation over the BJP fielding a third candidate.

On Friday, Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya sparked debate when he said BJP workers would ensure the victory of even a third candidate if the party decided to field one.

His remarks fuelled talk of possible cross-voting, though the BJP has announced only two candidates so far.

“The Congress Legislature Party meeting this evening will deliberate on the Rajya Sabha election, organisational coordination and the entire strategy related to the upcoming electoral process,” Singhar said.

Congress leaders are likely to endorse Natarajan’s candidature.

Sources said she is likely to file her nomination papers later on Saturday, despite June 8 being the last date.

Elections are being held for three Rajya Sabha seats from the state.

The BJP has 165 MLAs in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly. The Congress officially has 66 MLAs, though two stand disqualified.

The status of Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre, elected on a Congress ticket but later aligned with the BJP, remains under judicial consideration.

With 58 votes required to win a seat, the election is expected to test the organisational discipline of both parties as the BJP’s third-candidate speculation dominates political discussions.

–IANS

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