Madhya Pradesh CM: Why choice fell on Kamal Nath  

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time, tweeted Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday evening quoting from Tolstoy. The chief minister designate of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia flanked him in a photograph tagged to the tweet. Few people missed the connection. Kamal Nath has been a warrior, has been patient and has served the party for the longest time. He has been a member of the Lok Sabha for nine terms and represented Chindwara for 37 successive years.

Although he was anointed the state Congress chief barely seven months before the assembly election, once he pulled off a victory which very few had thought was possible, it was clear that he would be the Chief Minister. The narrow victory margin of the Congress, which has to rely upon other MLAs to win the vote of confidence and continue in power, required a chief minister who would be accessible to all groups and be able to build bridges. Kamal Nath, more than anyone else, has well wishers in all communities across the state and beyond. Others clearly had no chance.

What is more, Congress would be hoping to repeat the performance and actually improve upon it in the Lok Sabha elections, which are barely four months away. Changing the horse at this stage made little sense. Kamal Nath at the helm is clearly seen as a more formidable leader to take on the BJP and the RSS in the general election.

Indeed people still recall his skillful handling of India’s cause and interests in international fora as the union environment minister. Madhya Pradesh would look forward to some of that skill as he tackles the daunting task of addressing farmers’ issues as well as employment generation.

As a businessman (he was born in a business family in Kanpur), and one of the richest businessmen in the state, he always had the option of joining the BJP. Businessmen do tend to align with ruling parties. But remarkably again, Kamal Nath has stuck to the Congress through thick and thin, in good times and in bad. While people recall how Indira Gandhi would affectionately call him her third son, old slogans like “Indira Gandhi Ke Do haath, Sanjay Gandhi aur Kamal Nath” have resurfaced to highlight his loyalty to the Gandhi family.

As an astute politician with loads of experience, Congress would expect him to avoid knee-jerk decisions. And one can almost predict that he would steer away from any kind of vendetta against politicians or bureaucrats. Indeed the practical experience and wisdom that he brings to the office would have been a key factor in his favour.

His challenges are undoubtedly daunting. He would be expected to keep the different factions in the party united. With several party stalwarts like Ajay Singh, son of former chief minister Arjun Singh, having bitten the dust in the assembly election, it would be challenging to keep the unity intact. And finally, he would be expected by the Congress to prepare for the general election round the corner and make the party battle-ready in three months.

In this backdrop, it is hardly surprising that the choice of the Congress, the elected MLAs and the party high command has fallen on the 72-year-old to steer Madhya Pradesh through turbulence.