BHOPAL: In a significant political development in Madhya Pradesh, former union minister Kamal Nath suggested that his competitor Jyotiraditya Scindia be nominated as the chief ministerial candidate in the 2018 Assembly polls in the state.
“Scindiaji and I not only share political relations but have a strong family bond. I am not hungry for any post, but I am committed to the return of the Congress in MP. I firmly believe that Scindiaji should be projected as the party’s chief minister candidate. We’ll fight under his leadership,” Kamal Nath, flanked by Scindia, told journalists in Guna.
“All Congress leaders are united in wanting the return of the party and an announcement on the chief minister candidate will be timely,” he added.
Kamal Nath’s statement assumes significance as it comes just three days before Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh’s starts his six-month journey around the river Narmada titled ‘Narmada Parikrama’ on Saturday.
While Digvijay Singh has said the circumambulation is non-political, political pundits see it as an effort by him to connect with the people in 100 out of the 230 Assembly seats in the state. Ahead of the 2018 polls in MP, the trek by Digvijay Singh -- who was the last Congress chief minister in the state in 2003 -- is being seen as a calculated strategy to make a comeback in the state.
Kamal Nath’s remarks in support of Scindia are a major departure from his earlier stand that there is no need to declare a CM candidate ahead of the polls. His changed stance will result in new dynamics in the party, in which several regional satraps, including Digvijay Singh, Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kantilal Bhuria, Arun Yadav and Ajay Singh ‘Rahul’.
Scindia himself tried to play down the matter. “None of us has any personal ambitions. We’ll accept as our leader whoever is decided by our national leadership,” he said.
While Scindia was not declared the CM candidate in the 2013 polls, he headed the election campaign committee of the party. His proximity to Rahul Gandhi and popularity among young voters has boosted the prospects of the party for the 2018 polls.
Recently, Rahul Gandhi’s confidant Deepak Babaria replaced veteran Mohan Prakash as the general secretary in-charge of MP. The development was part of a move by Rahul
Gandhi to build a totally new team in the state for the 2018 polls.