India, June 8 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday night fielded a third candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, setting up a direct contest with the Congress for the third seat amid heightened political manoeuvring ahead of the June 18 polls.

The BJP nominated Mahesh Kevat, recently appointed chairman of the Fishermen's Welfare Board, against Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan. The move came amid visible discontent within the Congress following the announcement of Natarajan's candidature.

Chief minister Mohan Yadav held meetings with BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal and senior party leaders on Sunday before finalising Kevat's name.

In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly, a Rajya Sabha c...