Kamal Nath is Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, others wait for luck

The suspense over who would be Congress's chief minister in Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh continued late on Thursday night. After hours of hectic deliberations over selection of chief ministers, the Congress late on Thursday night announced on its Twitter handle that Kamal Nath would be chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

He will be sworn on in a few days, sources told the DNA. A big swearing in ceremony has been planned at the Lal parade ground. Many top leaders from different parties are likely to present in the ceremony.

No sooner was the announcement made, supporters of Sachin Pilot blocked roads and rail routes in Rajasthan. There were reports of scuffle between the supporters of Bhupesh Baghel and TS Singh Deo in Raipur too.

After hours of hectic deliberations over selection of chief ministers, Gandhi on Thursday night tweeted a smiling picture of Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia. He quoted Leo Tolstoy in the tweet: "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." Sources said that Scindia had proposed Nath's name for the CM's post. They added that Scindia would be given a larger role in Delhi ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

(Supporters of Sachin Pilot protest in Ajmer to press for their leader’s appointment to the CM’s post in Rajasthan on Thursday —PTI)

Chief minister hopefuls Pilot and Ashok Gehlot met Gandhi in New Delhi on Thursday night. Tweeting the same photo, Scindia wrote, "It is not a race, it is not about kursi, we are here to serve the people of Madhya Pradesh. I am leaving for Bhopal and you will get to know the decision today."

The hectic politicking spilled over from Wednesday into Thursday.

The Gandhis, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra, went into a two-hour-long huddle to decide the future course of action.

Amid reports of hectic parleys in the top echelons of the party in New Delhi, Congress workers in Raipur said that the delay in the announcement of the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) – a politically correct euphemism for Chief Minister – has come as a dampener.

"The name for Chhattisgarh could have been announced before other states, as the party has a clear mandate in the state," said a visibly upset party worker.

Meanwhile, a large number of supporters of state party chief Bhupesh Baghel and former leader of opposition in the state assembly TS Singh Deo continued to camp outside the homes of their leaders.

While the impasse for Rajasthan expected to spill into Friday, in contrast the selection in Madhya Pradesh seemed smoother. In the case of Rajasthan, however, the selection has been delayed till Friday, with both Gehlot and Pilot been given an audience of 10-15 minutes with Gandhi during the day. After which both were instructed to not leave Delhi till a further announcement.

Gandhi also met with poll observers KC Venugopal and Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Pandey earlier in the day. Sources privy to the developments said that Pilot could lose out to Gehlot, who is currently the party's general secretary in charge of organisation, because of caste equations. Gehlot could pose a safe face while Pilot, a Jat, could upset other communities. Sources said that Pilot might be asked to accept a deputy position or a half-term.

Meanwhile, the delay in finalising the chief ministerial candidate of Rajasthan by the Congress leadership has not only resulted in divide among the newly elected legislators, but has now started to rub off on the Independents as well.

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party president Hanuman Beniwal who quit BJP 10 years ago to open a front against former chief minister Vasundhara Raje has now spoken his mind. Beniwal whose party has notched up three seats has pledged his support to Pilot. The Congress has 99 legislators in the 200-member Vidhan Sabha, falling short of the magical number 101 required to form a government. State-in-charge Avinash Pandey has claimed that they have support of 20 Independents.

With the stalemate over the candidate selection for CM in state continuing late into Thursday night, reports of a deputy chief minister stepping in were gaining ground in state. Sources said the names doing the rounds for the deputy CM's post were of Baytu legislator Harish Choudhary and Nathdwara MLA and former union minister CP Joshi.

(With Inputs from Amrita Madhukalya, Abhilash Khandekar, Akbar Khan, Siddhartha S Bose)

Early Preps In Raj

• Loading vehicles carrying furniture, tents and rugs were seen entering the Raj Bhawan where the sprawling lawn was being decked up for the swearing-in ceremony
• Sources said that the Congress leadership is in a hurry to form the government as the auspicious window, as per the Hindu calendar, closes on December 16
• According to the constitutional requirement, a government has to be in place in Rajasthan by January 20