New Delhi: Asserting that factionalism in the Madhya Pradesh unit of the Congress party is a “thing of the past”, senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said Sunday the entire state leadership worked as a “united front” during the assembly polls in a bid to dislodge the BJP government.
Mr Scindia, who spearheaded an energetic and spirited campaign for the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, said there is an “uprising for change” in the state.
“During my campaign, I covered over 115 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh. There is an omnipotent energy — it is an uprising for change,” he said in an interview.
Some exit polls have given an edge to the Congress to form a government in the state after remaining in opposition for 15 years, while others have predicted a close finish for the grand old party and the ruling BJP. Counting of votes for the November 28 elections to 230 assembly seats in the state will take place on December 11.
Asked if he considers himself as a front-runner for the chief minister’s post in case the Congress wins the elections, Mr Scindia said he does not want to answer hypothetical questions. The Guna MP said he has consistently maintained that the goal of the entire Congress party has been to unseat the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh.
“Once that is achieved, the next step is for the party leadership to decide (on the chief ministerial face),” said Mr Scindia, one of the top Congress leaders in the state who had won the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 despite a huge wave in favour of the BJP.
Mr Scindia and the state Congress chief Kamal Nath are being seen as main contenders for the chief minister’s post if Congress emerges victorious in the state.
On whether the selection of the chief minister by the Congress in case of a win could leave some senior leaders “hard done”, Mr Scindia said: “Not at all. One must understand, that we have to learn from our past. We have previously struggled with factionalism within the party. However, that time has passed.”
He asserted that throughout this election in MP, the entire party machinery including senior leaders and every single party worker, worked as a “united front”.
“Our strength, this time, has been in the unity of our campaign. And this will and must continue,” the 47-year-old leader said.
Asked if the Congress was able to counter the narrative of factionalism, Mr Scindia answered in the affirmative.
“I have admitted that one reason we were unable to give the BJP a fight in the last two assembly elections was because we were not working cohesively, but that is a thing of the past,” the former Union minister said.
