Suspense over next MP chief minister; new Congress MLAs say Rahul Gandhi to decide

The two names that the party leadership is believed to be deciding between are that of Kamal Nath and State Congress campaign committee chairman Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Madhya Pradesh’s newly elected Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has passed a one-line proposal that that Congress president Rahul Gandhi will decide on who the state’s chief minister will be. The proposal was passed at a CLP meeting called by state Congress chief Kamal Nath in Bhopal on Wednesday.

Congress state president Kamal Nath (R), party leader and MP Jyotiraditya Scindia (L) during the release of Madhya Pradesh assembly election manifesto, at PCC headquarters in Bhopal on November 10.(PTI File Photo)

The two names that the party leadership is believed to be deciding between are that of Kamal Nath and State Congress campaign committee chairman Jyotiraditya Scindia.

The meeting of the Congress’ new MLAs was held on Wednesday evening after counting of votes for assembly elections ended this morning. The Congress has won 114 seats and has an offer of support from Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party to bridge the gap of two seats tat it needs for a majority at 116 in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly.

 

Late on Tuesday, Kamal Nath, who is the state Congress president, had staked claim to form government in Madhya Pradesh and had sent a letter to Governor Anandiben Patel. He wrote that “the Congress party has emerged as the single largest party with majority support” and that “all the independent (candidates) have in addition assured support to the Congress party.”

Kamal Nath sought an appointment with Patel after the results are announced to “apprise you and form the next government in Madhya Pradesh”, thus making way for the party’s dramatic political comeback in the state after a hiatus of 15 years.

Not long after all results were in on Wednesday morning, the BSP and the Samajwadi Party announced support for the Congress and Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and senior party leader Digvijaya Singh, among others, met the Governor to stake claim to form government.

With the BSP and Samajwadi Party’s support and that of Independents, the Congress has the support of 121 MLAs. The BJP, which had sought a fourth straight term, has won 109 seats in the state. The party’s Shivraj Singh CHouhan, who was chief minister for the last 13 years, resigned this morning.