Summary:
With nearly half of the total number of legislators standing in support of Ajay Singh, Congress had to sacrifice its caste equilibrium. "You would be writing the death certificate of the Congress party in Madhya Pradesh if Mukesh Nayak is made LoP," Congress MLAs told Ajay Maken. Once, Nayak was out of the competition, Sundarlal Tiwari was the only other Brahmin choice but could not garner support of party MLAs. Long before CLP meeting started at state PCC office on the afternoon of February 20, these legislators gathered at the residence of Ajay Singh. Behind closed doors, legislators told AICC observer Ajay Maken that making Mukesh Nayak the LoP would prove disastrous for the Congress in the 2018 elections..