Infighting-hit Congress in Madhya Pradesh still to name leader

The infighting-plagued Congress is still struggling to name its legislature party leader despite party chief Sonia Gandhi asking the legislators to sink their differences ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls.

More than 10 days after the Madhya Pradesh assembly election results were announced, the infighting-plagued Congress is still struggling to name its legislature party leader despite party chief Sonia Gandhi asking the legislators to sink their differences ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls.

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After the shock defeat in Madhya Pradesh, the various Congress factions are at each other's throats over the debacle. The Congress MLAs did meet at the party headquarters here Sunday but failed to nominate a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. They concluded their meeting with a one-line resolution authorising party president Sonia Gandhi to take the final decision.

There are about half a dozen claimants to the post, including Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh's son Ajay Singh, union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia's supporter Mahendra Singh Kalukheda, union minister Kamal Nath's supporter Sajjan Singh Verma, leader of Opposition in the previous assembly Jamuna Devi and former minister Harvansh Singh.

The 71-strong CLP failed to evolve a consensus on any name.

However, according to party sources, Jamuna Devi's chances might brighten if the impasse on naming a leader of opposition persists as there is very little chance of Congress bigwigs from the state agreeing on any one name.

Harvansh Singh could also prove to be a dark horse for the post as two senior leaders, Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh - who together have the largest chunk of followers in the CLP - might push his name.