Most probably will attend swearing-in of Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel: Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is expected to attend Monday swearing-in of Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel as chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, respectively, sources said.

Gehlot has written to Naidu inviting him for the ceremony to be held in Jaipur. Along with Gehlot, Congress leader Sachin Pilot will also take oath as deputy chief minister of Rajasthan.

In a letter to Naidu, Gehlot said, "The recently concluded assembly election is not just a victory for the Congress party but is also a victory for progressive politics..."

"Our parties have been partners in our joint struggle to defeat forces who have left no stone unturned to undermine our democracy," he added.

According to the sources, Nath has telephoned and invited Naidu to be present in the swearing-in ceremony to be held in Bhopal Monday.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief has accepted the invitation of both the leaders, they said.

The party sources claimed Naidu will also attend the swearing-in ceremony of Bhupesh Baghel as the next chief minister of Chhattisgarh.

The sources said the Congress has invited many other political leaders and it is expected to be a show of unity of opposition parties similar to what was seen during the swearing-in of H K Kumaraswamy as Karnataka chief minister early this year.

On December 11, the Congress emerged as the single largest party by winning 99 out of 199 seats in Rajasthan. The state assembly has 200 seats, but election on one seat was put off due to the death of one of the candidates.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress won 114 seats in the assembly polls but fell short of the majority mark of 116. However, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) extended their support to the Congress, helping it to form the government.

The Congress had romped home to power in Chhattisgarh after 15 years with a two-thirds majority.

 

(With inputs from agencies.)