Although the Congress has not announced a chief ministerial face for the MP assembly polls later this year, the appointment of Nath as party president is seen to indicate his strong chance.
New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader Kamal Nath has been appointed the chief of the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit ahead of elections in the state later this year.
The development came days after it was reported that in discussions with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and party general secretary Digvijaya Singh had thrown his weight behind Nath as their chief ministerial candidate.
Nath, 71, replaces Arun Yadav as Madhya Pradesh Congress chief. A nine-time MP from Chhindwara, he is currently India’s longest-serving MP.
“I welcome the decision taken by the Congress president,” Singh told ThePrint immediately after the announcement. “Kamal Nath is a senior leader and, under his leadership, the party will win the upcoming assembly elections.”
“I didn’t expect a change in leadership, but I am with the party now that the decision has been taken,” said Yadav, “We are ready to work under our new president and make the Congress victorious in the upcoming elections.”
Nath thanked Rahul on Twitter.
मुझे प्रदेश अध्यक्ष के रूप में जिम्मेदारी जो सौंपी गई है उसके लिए मैं प्रतिबद्धता, साहस और आपसी तालमेल के साथ बीजेपी और गैर-धर्मनिरपेक्ष ताकतों की हार सुनिश्चित करने के लिए अपना सर्वश्रेष्ठ काम करूंगा,सोनिया गांधी जी एवं श्री राहुल गांधी जी आपके विश्वास के लिए कोटि कोटि धन्यवाद । pic.twitter.com/4Vnc2xEBOz
— Office Of Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) April 26, 2018
Old guard holds sway
At a time when Rahul is recruiting young leaders, Nath’s appointment indicates that the old guard continues to have a say in the functioning of the party.
Though the Congress has not announced a chief ministerial face for the state, the appointment of Nath as party president is seen as sending a clear message about his chances. The alternative would be Jyotiraditya Scindia, who led the party’s unsuccessful 2013 campaign. The two are the party’s only MPs among the state’s 29 parliamentarians, making the choice a tough one for Rahul.
Scindia has been insisting that the party announce a CM candidate before the elections in order to lend heft to its prospects. “If the party announces a CM face before the election, it would be better for the party,” he had said at Off the Cuff with ThePrint Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta last year.
He was quite hopeful about being the choice in view of the Congress’ wins in the bypolls for the Kolaras and Mungawli assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh earlier this year. Scindia had worked hard for the party’s win in the seats, which fall in his region of influence. For the upcoming polls, he retains his post as chairman of the campaign committee.
Nath, an old warhorse
In 2014, the veteran parliamentarian became the protem Speaker of the Lok Sabha to administer the oath of office to MPs.
There was speculation at the time that he would be named the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha. But the Congress high command decided to give the post to Mallikarjun Kharge, a Dalit leader from Karnataka.
In June 2016, a year before assembly elections in Punjab, Nath was made the general secretary in charge of the state. It was expected that his “sound managerial skills” would help restore order in the divided house that was the Punjab Congress. But controversy ensued as rival parties cited his alleged involvement in the 1984 riots, and Nath resigned.
In April last year, Nath and the party were quick to dismiss rumours that he was set to join the BJP. On the contrary, Nath was planning to convince the party brass to hand over Madhya Pradesh operations to him. On 1 May last year, Nath met the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, amid reports that he had pitched himself for the post of state party president with a promise to win the election.
The Congress has been out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003. Nath is one of the most popular leaders in the state and his offer to lead was something the party couldn’t ignore.
On Sonia’s encouragement, Nath, on 21 May, made a detailed presentation on his plan to revive the party in the state, discussing strategy and candidates for each assembly constituency.
His chances got a boost after Digvijaya Singh opted out of the race. “I am not in the race to become CM. I would rather work for the party to win the state elections,” Singh said following his return from his six-month Narmada parikrama.
During his 3,100-km yatra, all senior state Congress leaders, including Nath and Scindia, had visited Singh.
On 12 April, when Singh ended his yatra at Narsinghpur, Kamal Nath visited him once again, giving rise to speculation that he was Digvijaya’s pick for the CM’s post.