Bhopal, December 11: Suspense continues over the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh if the party comes to power after results of assembly elections are declared today. If the Congress manages to beat the BJP after a gap of 15 years, the grand old party will have to choose between senior leader Kamal Nath and Rahul Gandhi's young aide and MP Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Both Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia have been strong contenders of the chief ministerial post in Madhya Pradesh. Scindia, the Congress chief whip in the Lok Sabha,  headed the state Congress campaign committee, while Nath, the nine-term MP from Chhindwara seat, is the state unit president of Congress. Nath reportedly also has the backing of former state chief minister Digvijay Singh.

According to political observers, Nath has an upper hand over Scindia as Congress president Rahul Gandhi cannot snub two party veterans who enjoy considerable political clout. It must be noted that Congress had appointed Scindia as the party’s campaign committee chief in the 2013 assembly elections, virtually projecting him as the chief ministerial candidate. However, Scindia failed to stop BJP's third consecutive victory in the state.

After a long wait of 15 years, the Congress appears to be in a position to form the government in Madhya Pradesh. The role of Nath's political stature, experience and resources in Congress's likely victory that will have an impact on the 2019 Lok Sabha election cannot be ignored.

In case the BJP manages to retain power once again, incumbent chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will get his fourth consecutive term as head of the state.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 11, 2018 04:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).