Madhya Pradesh CLP to meet at 4 p.m.

The newly elected Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh will meet at 4 p.m. in the Pradesh Congress Committee office on Thursday to choose their Legislature Party leader, party officials said.

State party chief Kamal Nath and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, who headed the party's poll committee during the just concluded Assembly polls, are expected to be present. Both are front-runners for the Chief Minister's post.

Central party observer and former Defence Minister A.K. Antony was on Wednesday in Bhopal to meet the new legislators after the Congress in a nail-biting finish defeated the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party by securing 114 seats but fell two seats short of a majority in the 230-member House.

The meeting was expected to reach a consensus on the Chief Minister's name, however, that did not happen.

Rebel MLAs, who won as Independent candidates in the November 28 polls, were also part of the CLP meet. Antony met every one individually.

--IANS

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