India, June 9 -- A chartered flight to Bengaluru. Allegations of bags full of cash. A surprise candidate entering the race. Madhya Pradesh's Rajya Sabha election on June 18 has all the ingredients of a political drama. And it raises a key question: Who will win the state's third seat?

In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, a Rajya Sabha candidate needs 58 votes to secure victory. The BJP, with 164 MLAs, has enough strength to easily win two of the three vacant seats. The party fielded senior leaders Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agrawal.

Then, the saffron Party announced a third candidate. BJP's Mahesh Kevat, chairman of the Madhya Pradesh fishermen welfare board, is to contest against Congress nominee Meenakshi Natarajan.

Madhya Prades...