The Congress on Saturday sacked Kamal Nath as the president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, going instead for the young former MLA Jitu Patwari who lost the election this time.
The 77-year-old Kamal Nath’s exit is not merely about generational change. The drastic change has been triggered by the widespread perception that he mishandled electioneering because of overconfidence and obstinately refused to pay heed to sane advice during the campaign. “Kisi ki nahin sunte (he doesn’t listen to anybody),” was the common refrain in the party.
Some senior leaders squarely blamed Kamal Nath for the shock defeat in the key state of Madhya Pradesh where a bitter anti-incumbency placed the Congress in a clear advantage. “Kamal Nath messed it up,” a top functionary had told The Telegraph soon after the result, lamenting that his arrogance would hurt the Opposition’s prospects in the parliamentary election.
Kamal Nath resisted alliance with smaller parties, telling the high command that an impressive victory with 140 seats was a foregone conclusion.
The high command has gone for a dramatic overhaul, picking tribal leader Umang Singhar for the Congress Legislature Party post. Singhar will now be the Leader of the Opposition in the state. That he was tipped for a bigger role became clear when he publicly apologised to Digvijaya Singh for the misgivings of the past. Digvijaya’s opposition could have derailed his appointment but he addressed that point in time.
Now the Congress has both the state chief and CLP leader below 50, giving them the specific task of leading the party’s revival. In Chhattisgarh too, the displeasure with Bhupesh Baghel was manifested in the choice of Charan Das Mahant as the Congress Legislature Party leader.
The young Deepak Baij, who is the state chief, has been asked to continue. Given the trend, the continuance of Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan looks difficult now.
