A majority of Congress’ candidates who have got tickets to fight the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections are from the camp of the party’s state chief, Kamal Nath. Political observers say that the composition of the just released candidates’ list confirms that it is Nath who will be Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in case the Congress defeats the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government, which is seeking a fourth term in the state.
“A majority of the candidates owe their loyalty to Kamal Nath and to some extent Digvijaya Singh. So it is clear who the CM will be if we win. Nath is the one who is taking on the Chief Minister directly, both on social and traditional media, while the other claimant, Jyotiraditya Scindia, has slowly receded to the background,” said a party leader based in Bhopal.
Since mid-October, Nath has been attacking Chouhan by asking him one question a day, as part of the 40 questions that he will ask until the elections “exposing the false claims” of good governance by the BJP in the last 15 years. “This exercise has served the dual purpose of exposing Chouhan and also making it clear that who the de-facto CM face of the Congress is,” a senior party spokesperson said.
The fact that party veteran Digvijaya Singh is supporting Kamal Nath in the internal squabbling is an open secret in Congress corridors. Though Singh has announced that he is not a CM aspirant, his support is crucial for Nath to do well in the elections as the former Chief Minister is still very popular among the party workers. Singh’s popularity was amply evident during the six-month-long Narmada Yatra that he recently undertook.
“It is evident that Singh and Nath are working closely with each other and Scindia is not a part of this group. However, all three are mature politicians and feel that the Congress this time has a very strong chance of capturing power. Nath is fully dedicated to winning the polls as he knows that it is his last shot at the CM’s chair, something which he has always wanted,” a Scindia confidant said.
With the Congress hoping of doing well on 130 plus seats in the 230-member Assembly, it will finally depend on which leader has the support of the maximum number of MLAs in the event of the party mustering a majority and looking for someone to occupy the coveted post. The party has given tickets to 52 out of its 57 sitting MLAs, while reposing faith in more than 50 candidates who had lost in 2013.
“Rahul Gandhi has shown that he takes practical decisions and hence all the regional leaders are trying to ensure that the maximum number of their loyalists get tickets. If Congress passes the halfway mark and Nath has the support of more than half of the winning MLAs, no one can stop him from becoming the Chief Minister,” the party functionary said.