Will Congress be undone in MP by Kamal Nath-Digvijaya infighting?

New Delhi: The Congress is seemingly squandering its advantage in Madhya Pradesh Assembly Polls. And it isn't because of some great strategic move by the Bharatiya Janata Party, but due to the continued infighting amongst the grand old party's two tallest leaders, Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh.

The Congress had earlier seemingly tried to put an end to the years-long factionalism between the two former chief ministers. However, the ticket distribution process seems to have reignited the troubles between the two as Kamal Nath has seemingly lost out in these nominations, sources said.

It is alleged by the Kamal Nath faction that the Digvijaya Singh group may be working in collusion with the BJP towards ensuring defeat of the Congress in the forthcoming polls, sources said.

The recent comments of Singh, in which he had termed the ‘Kanya Pujan’ done by Chief Minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan as ‘Nautanki’. This elicited an immediate reaction from the saffron unit. Many in the grand old party pointed out that there was no need for Singh to make such comments while electioneering for the close contest in the state was underway. “This statement may have been made with an ulterior motive as it aids the BJP and brings it closer to the women voters while at the same time hurts Congress prospects,” sources said.

The Congress, led by its leader Kamal Nath, had earlier seemed confident of a return to power in Madhya Pradesh. The rift between the two factions may now end up benefiting the saffron candidates.

The Congress has officially denied any talk of a rift between its top two leaders in the state with senior leader Randeep Singh Surjewala equating its state president Kamal Nath and senior leader Digvijaya Singh with "Jai" and "Veeru" from the iconic film "Sholay". However, it is believed that the party’s high command is worried over the recent developments and has also reportedly spoken to the two to ensure presenting a united fight before the BJP.

Why does factionalism continue in Congress?

Madhya Pradesh Congress has been facing problems related to factionalism for the past several years. Senior leaders like Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiaditya Scindia had led their factions to openly indulge in politicking against each other.

Though the Congress tried to take on the saffron unit with a united leadership, it has seemingly failed miserably in this attempt. The rift has also increased as the top two leaders are also hoping to establish their respective sons in state politics. While Digvijaya wants his son Jaivardhan Singh to emerge as a leader in state politics, Kamal Nath wants the same for his son Nakul, sources pointed out.

The Congress is seemingly creating trouble for itself, despite the fact that the BJP is facing huge anti-incumbency and is also embattled with issues arising out of factionalism in the crucial state. In 2018, the BJP was only able to secure 109 out of 230 seats in the MP Assembly, paving the way for the formation of Kamal Nath-led government after Congress was able to win 114 seats. However, the BJP was later able to engineer a split in the Congress, with the help of Jyotiaditya Scindia, and come back to power.

With 29 Lok Sabha seats, Madhya Pradesh is a crucial state for both the BJP and Congress. The BJP had secured 27 seats in the 2014 general election while it had bettered its performance and secured 28 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the saffron front hopes to maintain its lead over Congress in the state as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to seek his third consecutive term in 2024 general elections.

The Congress needs to set its house in order soon to ensure that the saffron unit isn't able to win the forthcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh and improve its chances of retaining its tally of Lok Sabha seats from the state in 2024.