Digvijaya Singh-Kamal Nath axis and Gehlot camp gain upper hand

Congress circles are of the view that the Digvijaya Singh-Kamal Nath axis in Madhya Pradesh and Ashok Gehlot camp in Rajasthan have gained the upper hand in the party’s internal equations ahead of the assembly polls, making it harder for Genext leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot to fulfil their quests of becoming CMs in case of Congress victories in the respective states.

The uncharacteristic manner in which Gehlot announced he would contest the elections even before the Congress candidates for Rajasthan was finalised, at an AICC presser on Wednesday, has been interpreted in Congress circles as a rare display of his steely determination which saw him overcome in-house barricades erected in his path.

Gehlot’s announcement abruptly ended a systematic whisper campaign that he and Pilot would not contest the polls and that as AICC general secretary in charge of the organisation his presence was constantly required at 24 Akbar Road. Congress insiders said that the whisper campaign, along with Pilot’s mysterious emergence as the number one choice for CM in many opinion polls suddenly, made the Congress leadership suspect foul play engineered by BJP, or from within.


Soon, large sections of Rajasthan Congress leaders conveyed to the high command that Gehlot’s absence in the fray could damage the party’s prospects. The counter-plotters argued that all Congress MLAs (Gehlot is one) who had the potential to win should contest though none should leave their bases in search of safe-seats. It left Pilot with the choice of picking a seat in Ajmer or seeking cooperation of the rival camp for a safer seat.

Though who will be the CM nominee remains in the realm of speculation, Gehlot’s entry into the fray will make him the Congress poll mascot and give him a dominant say in candidates’ selection, given his standing, skills and reach in the state Congress.

MADHYA PRADESH AXIS
According to AICC functionaries, the sudden escalation of tension in MP Congress was defused after Digvijaya Singh, who insists he will not be a CM candidate, cornered the largest pie for his nominees with around 75 seats across regions. Kamal Nath and Scindia have managed around 45 seats each and Ajay Singh-Suresh Pachauri camps around 10-15 seats each. Scindia backer Satyavrat Chaturvedi, meanwhile, could not secure a seat even for his son. The Digvijaya Singh-Kamal Nath axis has also tied up with Ajay Singh-Pachauri front giving their combined group the lion’s share of candidates in MP. It will be decisive in the choice of CM should the Congress form the next government in MP. The Congress high command hopes mentors of the major groups will now work hard to secure the best results for their camps.