Rahul Gandhi to pick CMs for MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh

The suspense over who will be the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh was prolonged with the Congress legislators in the three states going through the ritual of authorising party president Rahul Gandhi to take the final call.
During closed-door interactions with observers from the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the majority of Congress MLAs in MP and Rajasthan favoured Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot, respectively, for the top job, sources told ET.

Yet, as per Congress tradition, the final choice will be that of the party president, who is likely to decide on Thursday. In both the states, younger leaders Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia are also claimants for the CM’s chair.

There’s a sense of urgency in Congress to settle the leadership issue at the earliest because the party is still tantalisingly short of majority in both MP and Rajasthan, and is dependent on the support of smaller parties and independents. Any delay, sources said, could only complicate the exercise of government formation.

To ensure there’s no room for speculation, top Congress leaders in both states met the respective governors on Wednesday to formally stake claim.

This, sources said, was also aimed at blocking any attempt at poaching even as the party decides on its CM candidates.

A section of the party is rooting for Kamal Nath and Gehlot, citing their experience, which would be crucial in stabilising the fragile new governments in both the states.

But supporters of Pilot and Scindia are seeking a generational shift in leadership, saying it would send a positive signal to the youth.

In Chhattisgarh, the 68 Congress MLAs have unanimously left it to party president Rahul Gandhi to decide on the new chief minister, said senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who arrived in Raipur late on Wednesday evening. He said Gandhi had asked him to ascertain the views of the MLAs as well.

Chhattisgarh Congress president and Pattan MLA Bhupesh Baghel and outgoing leader of Opposition TS Singh Deo are front runners for the chief minister’s job.

Meanwhile, an informal announcement by the state Congress committee in Jaipur that the chief ministerial candidate will be announced by Wednesday evening led to mobilisation of supporters by the Pilot and Gehlot camps at the venue of the meeting of party legislators.

“There was no need to give an impression that the Congress legislature party leader’s name will be announced this (Wednesday) evening itself. Emotional scenes by supporters could have been avoided. The Jaipur team should have done what their counterparts in Bhopal did — just collect the views of party MLAs and revert to Rahul Gandhi without giving an impression of announcement on Wednesday evening,” said a Congress functionary in Delhi.