Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath meets Sonia Gandhi as 2 Congress MLAs still 'missing' ahead of Rajya Sabha polls

New Delhi: Even as two of Congress MLAs are still 'missing' amid an ongoing political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Monday (March 9) met party's interim President Sonia Gandhi here on Monday.

The two leaders reportedly discussed the cabinet expansion as well as the coming Rajya Sabha elections slated for later this month. After the meeting, Kamal Nath told IANS, "I have discussed many issues with her and will follow the instructions given by the Congress president."

Last week, ten Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh went 'missing', and now eight of them have returned expressing their support to the ruling party in the state. 

Pointing fingers at the BJP, the Congress party recently alleged that the BJP "abducted" some MLAs to bring down the Kamal Nath government. The BJP, however, denied the allegation, saying it has nothing to do with the development, which it claimed was the result of "infighting" among Congress leaders.

Meanwhile, some Congress leaders have demanded that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra be nominated from the state for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.

"Priyanka Gandhi should be nominated by Congress for the Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh. Once she arrives, many things would settle down in Madhya Pradesh," state Public Works Department Minister Sajjan Singh Verma told PTI.

Former Union minister Arun Yadav also demanded that Priyanka Gandhi, who is the Congress general secretary, be nominated for the Upper House from the state. 

Notably, the Rajya Sabha terms of Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh, and BJP leaders Prabhat Jha and Satyanarayan Jatiya will end on April 9.

Three rebel BJP MLAs earlier on Thursday met Kamal Nath and two of them have openly revolted, but the third one Sanjay Tripathi reportedly said that he is not leaving the party. 

The real test, however, will be in the Rajya Sabha elections where the fight for the second seat could be a close one. As per the arithmetic in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the two parties are sure to win one Rajya Sabha seat each and a tussle is likely for the third seat.

While Congress has 114 MLAs, the BJP has 107 legislators. Four Independent MLAs, two of the Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs and one legislator of the Samajwadi Party are supporting the Congress-led state government. Two seats are vacant following the death of a Congress and a BJP MLA. 

In Bhopal, hectic lobbying is going on over the cabinet expansion as independent MLAs are likely to be inducted into the Kamal Nath cabinet which may be expanded after the Holi celebrations.

Congress MLA Bisahu Lal Singh met Kamal Nath in Bhopal on Sunday after returning from Bengaluru. He is one of the 10 MLAs who `disappeared`, however, seven have already returned and he is the eighth MLA.

Meanwhile, Independent MLA Surendra Singh Shera today said that he was hoping to become a minister in the state government soon. "(It should be) very soon. If your wishes are with me, it may be on the day after Holi," Shera told ANI when asked if he is going to be a minister.

(With Agency Inputs)