Nath in Delhi to discuss new state party chief

Bhopal: After chief minister Kamal Nath left for New Delhi on Thursday to meet AICC interim president Sonia Gandhi, party workers are hopeful that they will get a new state chief at the earliest.

Sources in the party said that chief minister will meet Sonia Gandhi to finalise the name of the next PCC chief. A section of the party said that chief minister will visit the Vaishno Devi shrine on Friday, but there is no official confirmation from the state government.

Chief minister’s media convener in the Congress office Narendra Saluja, however, said, “This trip was pre-scheduled and the chief minister has gone to Delhi, so that he can raise the issue of implementation of several schemes in the state with the Union government.”

Former LoP Ajay Singh said, “The state Congress president will be appointed by Sonia Gandhi in consultation with Kamal Nath.” He, however, pointed out that a senior leader who knows the organisation and is acceptable to workers will get the post. “Could even be a darkhorse who no one expects to become state chief,” he said.

Meanwhile, former minister Bisahulal Singh reached the state capital on Thursday and claimed that party’s tribal MLAs have written a letter to the high command seeking appointment of a tribal as state Congress president. “They have urged the high command to appoint me as the state PCC chief,” he said.

A senior state Congress office-bearer said on Thursday that no minister of the Kamal Nath government is willing to become PCC chief. Though home minister Bala Bachchan, a tribal leader, is one of the frontrunners, yet he prefers to continue with his cabinet responsibility. Minister for PWD Sajjan Singh Verma could be considered if the high command wants a PCC chief from the Scheduled Caste community. Other names that are in the list include Umang Singhar, Jeetu Patwari, Omkar Singh Markam.

“If a minister is forced into the organization, it would be a different story because none is willing to leave the government and head the PCC,” a senior leader said. “For 15 years, the Congress had been out of power in Madhya Pradesh. After a struggle for that long, no minister wants to quit a cabinet berth,” he added.

State Congress leaders said that the party’s top priority is to run the government in Madhya Pradesh. “To run the government we have an experienced chief minister like Kamal Nath. Now the state PCC would require an experienced leader who would be able to take everyone along. He would also have to coordinate with the chief minister and government which a novice cannot do,” a state PCC office-bearer said.

Congress leaders felt that the announcement about PCC chief could come anytime this week or by early next week. “There has already been a long delay. They cannot hold back the announcement any longer as chief minister Kamal Nath who is presently also the state Congress chief needs to focus on government while a strong organization leader would be required because the Jhabua assembly bypolls are approaching,” a senior leader said.