Nakul Nath Stages Show Of Strength, Signals 3rd Congress Power Hub

The get-together of loyalists of the Nath family, held in the official residence of former chief minister Mr. Nath in his absence here, has also dropped hints that Junior Nath is all set to inherit his father’s political legacy to become a power centre in the state Congress, a senior party functioning said.

The event coincides with the birth anniversary of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

This apart, the Congress workers and leaders loyal to Senior Nath celebrated his birthday four days in advance at the ‘Diwali Milan’.

The former chief minister was however absent at the get-together, as he is scheduled to go abroad on Sunday, sources close to him said.

Congress MLA from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh Lakhan Ghanghoria, considered close to Senior Nath, said that it is obvious that Junior Nath will be the political heir of his father.

With Junior Nath set to step into his father’s shoes, emergence of a third power centre in state Congress is on the cards, after former chief minister Digvijay Singh and state Congress president Jitu Patwari.

Senior Nath’s loyalists have put up billboards across Bhopal including at the state Congress headquarters here projecting Junior Nath as a chief minister candidate of the party in the 2028 Assembly polls.

The move, significantly, comes barely a couple of days after former chief minister Mr. Singh threw his weight behind Mr. Patwari saying that the state Congress president along with Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Umang Singhar will lead the party in the 2028 Assembly polls in the state.

Senior Congress leader and former minister Sajjan Singh Verma, once considered Senior Nath’s loyalist, has also toed lines of Mr. Singh by backing the leadership of Mr. Patwari and Mr. Singhar.

“Congress is united under the ‘official state leadership’”, he said.