CONGRESS COMEBACK PLAN RIDES ON NATH

On October 25, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath wrote to sitting and former Congress MLAs tasked with managing the by-elections in ‘manuals’, or clusters of 10-12 booths each.

- Rahul Noronha in Bhopal

The letter said Nath would be sharing a post-results analysis of the party’s performance in the booths. The message was clear: how Congress fares will determine the future of these leaders in the party. In the make-or-break bypoll he faces, Nath is trying to raise accountability to levels state Congress leaders are not accustomed to.

With the exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia, and veteran Digvijaya Singh playing an important but behind-the-scenes role, the Congress in MP is now a Nath show. He is not only the state unit president but also the leader of the opposition. The net result is that decision-making in the party is now faster. Digvijaya’s direct involvement is restricted to seats like Ashok Nagar, Biaora, Agar and Bamori, where he has a huge following.