Congress to appoint new chief in Madhya Pradesh soon

The Congress is expected to announce its Madhya Pradesh unit chief soon with Chief Minister Kamal Nath holding the post at present, sources said.

The Congress is expected to announce its Madhya Pradesh unit chief soon with Chief Minister Kamal Nath holding the post at present, sources said. The decision is expected to put an end to perceived jostling for the post among senior leaders.

Sources said that party chief Sonia Gandhi has called state in-charge Deepak Babaria for discussions on the issue and a decision is expected in the coming days. The party has seen factionalism over the past few months with a state minister making remarks against senior party leader Digvijaya Singh.

Supporters of party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia are keen that he is appointed to the post. However, supporters of Chief Minister Kamal Nath are pitching for his loyalists for the position. Some of Scindia's supporters in the Gwalior-Chambal region in the past have taken to the streets demanding his appointment as MPCC chief failing which they threatened to sever ties with the party.

The jockeying for the post has seemingly delayed the announcement and the central leadership is taking various factors into account. The party can ill-afford factionalism given its dependence on outside support for survival. It has 114 MLAs compared to 108 of the BJP and has outside support of SP, BSP and four independent MLAs.

The performance of its government in Madhya Pradesh is crucial for Congress to improve its electoral prospects. The party has much at stake in the Jhbaua assembly bypoll whose result will be declared on Thursday.

BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has already said that if his party wins bye-election to Jhabua constituency, then the Kamal Nath government would be dislodged. "If the people make us win Jhabua Assembly bypoll, then I guarantee to change the Chief Minister of the state," he had said on Sunday.

The party had come to power last year with Kamal Nath as the state unit chief. (ANI)

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