INFIGHTING STOPS CONGRESS FROM DECLARING CM FACES

The Congress will not project Chief Ministerial faces for the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, scheduled to be held towards the end of the year.

According to party functionaries, the Congress high command, worried over infighting within the state units and escalation of intra-party rivalry, has decided not to elevate any one leader as the Chief Ministerial candidate. This decision comes at a time when strong pressure is being exerted on the high command by leaders who are in the running for the Chief Minister’s post, to declare the names. According to people in the know, senior leaders in Madhya Pradesh have been told that the name of the CM will be decided on the basis of the wishes of the MLAs who win the elections in case the Congress comes to power.

“The practice of the victorious MLAs deciding their leader is beneficial for the party as then the regional satraps will put in all their efforts to make sure that their candidates win the maximum number of seats. This will help the party do well in the elections. Now both Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kamal Nath, who are the two strongest claimants for the CM’s chair in MP, rather than indulging in infighting and factionalism, are focusing on making sure that the candidates and sitting MLAs of their respective regions do well so that when the time comes, they have the maximum support for themselves,” a Bhopal based party functionary said.

Digvijaya Singh, who according to party leaders, is neither overtly nor covertly trying for the CM’s chair, has been going around the state meeting leaders from