Days after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath suggested that Digvijaya Singh should look for one of the toughest seats in the State to contest the Lok Sabha polls, the senior Congress leader on Monday responded by tweeting that he will go by the directions of party president Rahul Gandhi.
“With the blessings of the people of Raghogarh, I had managed to win even during the 1977 wave of Janata Party. I am ready to contest the Lok Sabha elections from wherever my leader Rahul Gandhi asks me to,” said Mr. Singh with a prayer to Goddess Narmada.
‘Worthy of a fight’ADVERTISEMENT
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“Thank you Kamal Nath ji for inviting me to contest from the weak seats of Madhya Pradesh. I am grateful that you considered me worthy of a fight,” added the senior leader who is already a Rajya Sabha member. Mr. Singh is reportedly keen to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Rajgarh, a constituency that he has earlier represented and is considered to be part of the family's stronghold.
The Chief Minister, on the other hand, has suggested that Mr. Singh should consider the one of the tough seats like Bhopal, Indore or Vidisha, where the Congress has not won since the 1984 general elections. “I have requested Digvijaya Singh that if he wants to contest Lok Sabha polls, then he should do so from the toughest seat. There are two or three or four seats from where we have not won elections since the last 30-35 years,” Mr. Nath told reporters last Saturday at Chhindwara, a constituency he had represented nine times since 1980.
The Chief Minister’s comments and Mr. Singh’s response indicate a return to MP Congress’s notorious factionalism. This time, it is reportedly triggered by differences over the choice of candidate for the Indore Lok Sabha seat. But the factionalism could damage the party’s prospects in the State that has 29 seats.
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Seeking more seats
In 2014, the Congress had won only two seats while the BJP had won 27.
The Congress subsequently won a Lok Sabha bypoll, taking its tally up to three. However, the Congress is hoping to improve its tally since it has returned to power after a 15-years of uninterrupted BJP rule.
“There is no factional fight as the entire leadership and workers are united. Our single aim is to defeat the BJP as Modiji [Prime Minister Narendra Modi] has not fulfilled his promises.” said MP Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi.