Kamal Nath versus Kamal

The contest in Madhya Pradesh, that has been after Gujarat one of the strongest BJP ruled states in the country, is now turning out to be a contest between the mighty Sangh Parivar and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who is spearheading the Congress campaign virtually all by himself.
There are other Congress leaders as well but if one goes by the popular perception, Kamal Nath has emerged as the face of his party. Going by various surveys that have been conducted, the demand to have him as the star campaigner by candidates in various constituencies is many times more than that of other functionaries.
This is not without reason, since after he had to resign following the defection of Jyotiraditya Scindia to the BJP along with 20 odd supporters, Kamal Nath’s only resolve has been to win Madhya Pradesh back. In fact, he shifted his base from Delhi to Bhopal and has virtually camped there, energizing and motivating cadres to work towards defeating the BJP.
Whether this would happen, time alone can tell. However, on his part, the nine-time MP from Chhindwara, considered to be amongst the very few leaders within the Congress who are well versed with electoral management at micro as well as macro levels, is working day and night.
To be fair to the Congress high command, the top leadership has expressed full faith in his abilities, and has left it to him to steer the party towards victory. This may not be an easy task but the Congress will have to cash in on the huge anti-incumbency factor that is prevalent in the state against the BJP, which has been in power for nearly 20 years, which is no mean achievement.
According to sources, there are several leaders who seem to be envious of his popularity amongst the workers and the masses. They are trying to undercut him at every given opportunity, though Kamal Nath takes this in his stride and claims that a lot of things were being said and done in jest.
Several political analysts believe that former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh and his son, are unhappy with the developments. It is being stated that out of seats which were distributed by Digvijaya, it would be difficult to say at this juncture, how many would the Congress win. But such things happen in every election and in the end, people vote for parties and not the candidates.
While the entire state has been nurtured by Kamal Nath, his greatest focus appears to be on the Chambal-Gwalior belt, which has been a BJP and Scindia stronghold. He wants to avenge the desertion from the party by Jyotiraditya Scindia, by demonstrating that the Congress would make big inroads in the region. His confidence stems from the fact that he has been able to instill a sense of hope in the Congress workers. The result is that BJP’s Yashodhara Raje Scindia, has decided to not contest this time, citing health reasons for her premature retirement.
A factor that is working out in favour of the former CM is that the BJP has sent signals, deliberately or inadvertently that Shivraj Singh Chouhan may not necessarily be the choice for the top position, since many others including Union ministers and MPs could replace him. There has been an attempt by some leaders from the BJP and the Congress as well, to describe Kamal Nath as “an outsider”. His reply is that if he was able to win nine times from his constituency, which was in 1996 briefly represented by his wife and now by his son, how could he be a stranger to the state?
Another charge against him is that he has been pursuing politics of soft Hindutva to counter the saffron brigade. His reply is that unlike the BJP, he considers religion a matter of faith and not a facilitator of politics. In a recent interview he said that the tallest statue of Lord Hanuman was put up by him in Chhindwara and he never made a public show of it. There are believers of Bajrang Bali and he respects that sentiment.
What is significant to note is that Madhya Pradesh has been amongst the strongest BJP states since the Jana Sangh era. The late Khushabau Thakre had helped in building of the organization, aided by his three principal lieutenants—V.K. Saklecha, Kailash Joshi and Sunderlal Patwa. Subsequently, Uma Bharati also assisted in strengthening the organization with her huge connect with workers, though she did not last in office for too long, thanks to political machinations within her own party.
The state has also been a stronghold of the Congress right from the time of Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla and D.P. Mishra with Shyama Charan Shukla, Arjun Singh and Motilal Vora playing their roles to near perfection subsequently. The state as it exists today, is smaller than before with Chhattisgarh being carved out of it but remains a formidable player in national politics.
Kamal Nath has made a mark there because of his persistence and his burning desire to win. He is an organization man and perhaps the only politician in the Congress fold, who has a very structured approach to things and issues. He has taken it upon himself to wrest Madhya Pradesh, and has promised former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi that he would deliver the state to the party.
The Congress high command needs to ensure that his efforts are not hindered by jealous party rivals. Between us.