Kamal Nath made Congress M.P. unit chief, Jyotiraditya Scindia to lead election campaign

The Congress on April 26 appointed senior leader Kamal Nath as president of its Madhya Pradesh unit and Jyotiraditya Scindia as campaign committee chief ahead of elections in the State expected later this year, said a statement from the party.

The party also appointed Girish Chodankar as the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee chief, replacing Shantaram Naik who had resigned a few days ago.

“Congress President Rahul Gandhi has cleared the appointment of Kamal Nath as PCC president of Madhya Pradesh and Jyotiraditya Scindia as chairman, campaign committee of the State,”AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot said in a statement.

The party also appointed four working presidents — Bala Bachhan, Ramnivas Rawat, Jitu Patwari and Surender Chaudhary — in the Madhya Pradesh State unit.

Mr. Patwari said Mr. Nath’s experience will play a major role in ending the “BJP’s misrule” in the State.

Mr. Bachchan said the Congress decision will bring the desired results for the party in Madhya Pradesh. “Under Nath’s leadership, the people, who are fed up with the BJP, will get the much needed relief,” he said.

The appointments come a few months before the State Assembly elections, where the Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP. The chief ministerial candidate has not yet been decided as the choice still seems open with both Mr. Nath and Mr. Scindia in the race, a party leader said.

M.P. Congress sees appointment as balancing act

The decision to appoint Mr. Nath as the Madhya Pradesh Congress unit president and Mr. Scindia as the campaign committee chief is being seen as a balancing act in the faction-ridden party in the poll-bound State.

The appointment of Guna MP Mr. Scindia as the campaign committee chairman will give the party a strong face against three-term BJP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state Congress leaders feel.

“The move will balance the faction-ridden party in a major way as among all the top Congress leaders of the state, Nath’s stature is very high and he has the capacity to take along all of them,” a senior Congress leader told PTI requesting anonymity.

“Both Nath and Scindia gel well. Nath had also openly supported Scindia’s candidature for the chief ministerial post on various occasions,” the senior leader said.

There have been talks of internal factionalism in the party and its workers are said to be divided among four factions — headed by general secretary Digvijaya Singh, Mr. Nath, Mr. Scindia and Suresh Pachori. Analysts feel the internal division could hurt the party’s prospects in the Assembly polls.

MP Congress chief spokesman K.K. Mishra exuded confidence that under the leadership of Mr. Nath, the party will work “unitedly” to form a government in the State.

Former Union Minister Aslam Sher Khan said it was a welcome decision to appoint the nine-time Congress MP from Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat as the State unit president, though late. “This will give necessary vigour to the Congress to take on the BJP, whose graph, and especially that of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, is falling at a fast pace in the state,” Mr. Khan claimed. Farmers are very annoyed with the BJP government as they are not getting due for their produce, said the ex-Olympian, who had for long been demanding Mr. Nath’s appointment as the State unit president.

“The schemes like ‘Bhawantar’ and the Minimum Support Price (MSP) have failed miserably. Besides, a strong anti- incumbency is prevailing in the state and this is the right decision taken by the party,” Mr. Khan said adding that Mr. Nath has the capacity to take along all senior leaders, including Mr. Digvijaya Singh, Mr. Scindia, Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh, Mr. Pachouri, Kantilal Bhuria and Arun Yadav, among others.

Another party leader claimed that Mr. Digvijay Singh played a major role in paving way for the appointment of Mr. Nath as the State party president. “Singh had vocally supported Nath’s candidature during his Narmada Parikrama Yatra which concluded recently,” he said.

Soon after his appointment, Mr. Nath assured to work with full dedication to defeat the “non-secular parties”.

“I am committed to give my best to ensure the defeat of non-secular parties. As president, I will work dedicatedly and with full coordination to defeat the BJP and I thank Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for reposing faith in me,” Mr. Nath tweeted.