New Delhi: With the elections done and victory in the bag, the Congress is now facing its next challenge — who will be the chief minister — the old warhorse or generation next? Party president Rahul Gandhi will soon have to decide between veteran Ashok Gehlot or state party chief Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan; and state party head Kamal Nath or much younger Jyotiraditya Scindia in Madhya Pradesh (MP).
In Rajasthan, the newly-elected Congress lawmakers were on Wednesday asked to share their choice with two central leaders of Congress. The final decision, however, rested with Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
“Whatever the Members of the Legislative Assembly [MLA] have to say they will say in the meeting at a later stage and final decision is left to the Congress president and other party leaders. We will take a call soon,” Pilot said on Wednesday.
According to sources in Congress, in the battle for the position of CM between veteran leader Gehlot and much younger Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) president Pilot, the former is most likely to get the post owing to his vast political experience.
Likewise in MP, Congress leader Scindia on Wednesday made it clear that he was ready for the post of CM.
“It would be an honour to serve as chief minister. I am a servant of the people and will always be. What form that will take, be it through Madhya Pradesh or as minister of central government or chief whip, it is for my party to decide. Whatever the high command decides, I will follow,” Scindia said.
In contrast, Nath maintained that high command would decide the CM candidate. Earlier in the day, both Nath and Scindia handed the Congress’ letter staking claim for government formation to Governor Anandiben Patel.
Congress narrowly won MP, emerging as the largest party falling two short of a majority. The shortfall was later made up after Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati pledged her support to Congress in order to keep Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out.
Political commentator Vivek Saksena says Congress now faces a tough choice between Nath and Scindia for the post of CM.
“Congress is weighing a formula that will keep both Nath and Scindia happy. It is the efforts of both the leaders that brought Congress this far. The party cannot have anyone upset at this point. An appeasement formula would likely involve positioning one leader for a national role in New Delhi while letting the other take over as CM,” Saksena told Gulf News.
BJP, which ruled MP for 15 years, trumped Congress in vote share by a slender margin. The party received 41 per cent of the total votes polled, while Congress got 40.9 per cent.
“Having won the legislative assembly election in Rajasthan and MP, Rahul Gandhi now has to settle the CM question in these states. It is a turf war between the old and new guard. The race for the CM post in MP and Rajasthan is wide open as the Congress camp is clearly divided between the old and the new face. It is going to be interesting to wait and watch how Gandhi decides the CM face in these two states,” social activist Anita Mohan told Gulf News.
At meetings of the newly elected legislators in MP and Rajasthan on Wednesday, the veteran and the younger leaders staked claim to the post but in the end, a resolution was passed – Gandhi will decide.
“After winning the elections, Congress’ next challenge is to deal with the anticipated leadership tussle in MP and Rajasthan. It must be noted that Kamal Nath was named Congress chief in Madhya Pradesh in April this year after a majority of senior leaders recalled that former prime minister Indira Gandhi had called him her third son who had helped her in the time of a number of political crises,” Saksena added.