BHOPAL: Shivraj Singh Chouhan has found himself in the thick of desperate fight against the coronavirus, immediately after taking oath as Chief Minister.
He is pulling out all the stops to take the state out of this crisis. As there is no cabinet he is doing everything on his own to tackle the situation arising out of the spread of the corona pandemic.
He is trying to take bull by the horns. On the one hand, Chouhan is fighting against COVID-19, and on the other hand, the Congress has begun to prepare for the by-elections.
Both former chief ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh have begun to make a strategy for by-elections in the Gwalior-Chambal region and in other areas.
Twenty-four by-elections will be held in the state, and the future of the BJP government depends on the results of those polls.
For each assembly constituency, the Congress has set up a team comprising a former minister and party office-bearers.
The team will visit each constituency where the by-elections are held and analyse the conditions there.
The team members will also hold discussions with those who are opposed to Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The Congress is strengthening its organisation in several constituencies where the by-elections will be held.
After some of its legislators have crossed over to the BJP, the Congress needs leaders in the areas which are getting ready for by-polls.
Supporters of Scindia have occupied most of the party posts in these areas. Some of them have left the Congress, and a few are still with the party.
The Congress has to decide how it counts on those who are still with the party.
The party has begun to woo some of the local leaders of the BJP and of other parties.
Since a group of former leaders of the Congress joined the BJP, a few their BJP counterparts are angry.
For that reason, the Congress leaders are trying to cash in on the anger of the BJP leaders.
The Congress is trying to ally with the BSP to fight the by-elections.
The Congress is also trying to ensure that BSP should not field its candidates in the by-elections in case there happens to be no alliance.
