A s the Congress almost reached near the half-way mark in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, the next contest within the party is the choice of the Chief Minister. With 114 seats in victory or lead, the Congress is two seats below the magic figure of 116 in the 230-seat Assembly. The BJP, under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has given the spirited challenge to the Congress by winning 110 seats, 6 short of the majority mark.
PCC chief Kamal Nath has convened a meeting of the newly-elected Congress candidates at the PCC headquarters at 4 pm on Wednesday.
The Congress camp was jubilant since Tuesday morning when the early trends showed an edge to the Congress. A big LED screen was placed at the PCC office and the party workers and leaders remained glued to the screen throughout the day.
In the afternoon, Kamal Nath, former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and Congress parliamentarian Jyotiraditya Scindia reached the PCC and reviewed the polls results. There was no clear majority for the Congress, but the senior leaders discussed the possibility of forming a Government.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is seen as a contender for the chief ministership, was evasive when asked by reporters as to who would be occupying the top post. “Let the result come first,” he said, adding, “We will create an environment of peace, justice, and development if we come to power in Madhya Pradesh,” Scindia added.
The Congress, which has been trying to dislodge the three-term BJP Government in the State, expressed confidence that the party would cross the majority mark.
“As I said, the Congress is winning. We are going to get full majority,” Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kamal Nath said.
It is speculated that on Wednesday, the Congress would chalk out strategy to woo independents to support the Congress.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has two seats, the Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged one, and four Independents were elected to the Assembly. Out of these Independents, most of them are Congress rebels.