Congress to hold MLAs' meeting amid Kamal Nath-BJP rumors
Amid speculations of Kamal Nath's likely move to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress General Secretary Jitendra Singh reached Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday. Singh is expected to interact with the Congress's MLAs there and gauge their feelings and the on-ground situation. Meanwhile, despite the dismissal of the rumors by Nath's associates, the Congress veteran continues to camp in New Delhi. The Congress leadership, however, has assured the media that he has no plans to leave the party.
Why does this story matter?
The rumors were triggered as many Congress heavyweights, including Ashok Chavan, Milind Deora, and Baba Siddique, quit the Congress in Maharashtra. In Madhya Pradesh, too, former MLA Dinesh Ahirwar and Congress District President from Vidisha Rakesh Katare joined the BJP. Moreover, reports claimed that Nath was unhappy over not getting a Rajya Sabha berth. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also understood to be upset with him since the party lost the MP Assembly polls last year.
Nath's stance on joining BJP remains unclear
Notably, Nath himself hasn't explicitly confirmed or denied his intentions to join the BJP. On Saturday, he told reporters, "Why are you all getting excited? It is not about denying. I will inform you all if there is something like that." Another Congress veteran, Digvijaya Singh, has insisted that Nath "was, is, and will remain with the Congress" and urged the media to stop spreading lies.
Digvijaya's post on X
Singh to meet 66 MLAs
According to reports, Congress General Secretary Singh's mission in MP involves meeting with the state's 66 party MLAs to assess the current situation. One Congress MLA mentioned receiving a phone call to attend a meeting in Bhopal without being told the purpose, Hindustan Times reported. During his tour of Madhya Pradesh, Singh also hinted that Nath's son Nakul Nath could be the party's candidate from Chhindwara.
Nakul will definitely contest elections from Chhindwara: Singh
"He (Nakul) is a strong candidate from there (Chhindwara) and will definitely contest the elections," Singh told ANI. To recall, Nakul is the incumbent MP from Chhindwara. He is the only Congress MP from the state. Earlier this month, Nakul unilaterally declared that he will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from his constituency. It is rumored that Nakul and several MLAs will also exit the Congress if Nath decides to join the BJP.
