Acting on Yatra feedback, MP Cong likely to field 40% new faces

Bhopal, Feb 12 Determined to return to power with absolute majority after the Assembly elections scheduled later this year, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee has stepped up its preparations for the polls and the process of finalising candidates has also been initiated.

The names of least 60-65 candidates, who are considered strong nominees, including some senior party leaders, will be finalised soon and they will be asked to kick-start their campaign in their respective areas.

Sources said MP Congress chief Kamal Nath had initiated the process of taking feedback from party workers during Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, which traversed through the tribal and OBC dominated Malwa-Nimar region in November-December 2022.

"While he (Kamal Nath) was participating in the MP leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra, he was also taking feedback from party leaders and workers (who had come from across the state for being part of the Yatra) on various Assembly seats, and matched them with the findings of the internal surveys on those seats," a senior Congress leader told .

Besides, the state unit of the grand old party is also likely to spring a surprise by fielding at least 30-40 per cent new faces in the elections to the 230-seat Madhya Pradesh Assembly, which will be in addition to the list of strong candidates.

According to reliable sources, the fresh candidates will be fielded in those seats where the party has been continuously losing since the past four-five elections.

Sources privy to the developments told that Kamal Nath has started selecting new candidates on the basis of their reputation in their respective areas, and their loyalty towards the party.

However, the new faces will be only those who have been working for the party for the past at least one decade and also if their acceptance among the people is high.

Kamal Nath himself has reiterated that party workers who have been putting their best efforts for several years deserve a chance.

Therefore, it is assumed that there will be a long list of new candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections, which are due at the end of this year.

"The candidates will be finalised first for those seats where the party has not done well in the past four-five elections, but the names won't be declared officially. Instead, these nominees will be conveyed by the party about their candidatures and will be asked to start working on the ground, possibly six months before the polls," an MP Congress leader told on condition of anonymity.

Based on the internal surveys, which have categorised the 230 seats into various segments based on the party's prospects there, some sitting legislators have already been alerted about their performance not being up to the mark and the possibility of them being dropped from the final candidates' list if they don't pull up their socks.

Sources also claimed that some sitting legislators, including a former state minister from the Malwa region who had won the last polls by just 5,000-plus votes, are considering to change their constituency, as internal surveys didn't paint a rosy picture for their poll prospects.