Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has given full freedom to Madhya Pradesh’s former Chief Minister Kamal Nath for managing the by-elections on 27 seats in the state. Now, Kamal Nath will be taking a call on all the candidates to be fielded in these seats which are likely to go to polls in October.
Ousted from power after the Jyotiraditya Scindia-led rebellion resulted in the fall of the Congress government in MP, Kamal Nath has made these bypolls a prestige issue to settle the scores with the BJP. A few days ago, Kamal Nath had said that these elections would determine the future of Madhya Pradesh.
His statement led to wider analysis in the political circles that Nath is still eying the throne in Bhopal and is, therefore, looking forward to these by-elections as a big chance in that direction. With candidates for half of 27 seats going to polls likely to be announced in the next couple of days, Kamal Nath has meticulously finalised the names keeping in view the winnability as he does not want to take chances. Most importantly, Rahul Gandhi has placed bets on him for ensuring that Congress regains the glory it lost in MP. Moreover, the Gandhi scion has indicated that he will continue to rely on Kamal Nath for the party’s growth and future political battle in Madhya Pradesh.
Kamal Nath has taken it as an added responsibility to show that the confidence shown by the Gandhi scion in him is not misplaced. Therefore, Nath is not taking any chances, leaving no stone unturned to lead the Congress back to power, if possible, now, and if not, then sometime in the near future. That’s why, the by-elections assume greater significance. Definitely, a good show by the Congress will enhance the stature of Kamal Nath. After the “letter” controversy, Kamal Nath’s position in the Congress has become much stronger as he belongs to the batch of leaders who are known loyalists of the Gandhis.
The AICC general secretary in-charge of MP unit of Congress, Mukul Wasnik, is not being given any importance by the high command in terms of candidates’ selection. However, Wasnik has submitted to the high command his findings on all 27 seats, which, sources say, is nothing, but a formality done by a general secretary. Wasnik and Member of Parliament (MP) Vivek Tankha (Madhya Pradesh) were signatory of the letter. Congress rank and file in MP is targeting only Ghulam Nabi Azad, one of the key signatories of the letter. His controversial statements have also earned him the wrath of the grassroots workers in MP. So, Rahul Gandhi is not giving them any importance in the state.
As regards ticket distribution, Kamal Nath is going to have a decisive say. Sources say Kamal Nath has decided to give candidature to only Congress leaders, and no imported leader will be fielded from any of the seats.
Now comes the Digvijaya Singh factor. It is said that former CM Digvijaya Singh has no option but to back Kamal Nath’s decisions in selection of candidates. A shrewd politician, Digvijaya Singh has realised that Rahul Gandhi is relying on Nath fully and he has been given a free hand. Former PCC chief Arun Yadav is also being criticised by party workers as he is also under suspicion for apparently keeping a soft corner for the disgruntled leaders.
Now the numbers game. The number of MLAs who left the Congress following Jyotiraditya Scindia’s departure from the party, has gone up from 22 to 27. Kamal Nath believes that if a little over half of 27 seats are bagged by the Congress, there will be an interesting situation. Presently, the Congress has only 87 MLAs in its kitty. The MP Assembly has a total strength of 230 seats, so the majority mark in the House is 116. It is said that if Congress wins a little over 20 seats in upcoming by-elections, then Nath can turn the tide in his favour. The BSP angle is also there which the Congress cannot ignore. Kamal Nath is well aware of this scenario.