Bhopal: Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath will be sworn in as the 18th chief minister of Madhya Pradesh on December 17. Governor Anandiben Patel invited Nath, 72, to form the new government in the state, after he met her at the Raj Bhavan here on Friday to stake claim to form the government.
“As the leader of the single largest party, I appoint you as the chief minister of under Article 164 of the Constitution and invite you to form cabinet,” she said in a letter to Nath after their meeting which lasted around 50 minutes.
Talking to reporters outside the Raj Bhavan later, Nath said the swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Lal Parade Ground in Bhopal at around 1.30 pm on December 17. Nath, who has held several portfolios in the Union cabinet, will be the 18th chief minister of Madhya Pradesh after the state was formed on November 1, 1956.
The nine-time Lok Sabha member from Chhindwara was Thursday night elected as the leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP). Nath met the governor along with senior party leaders, including Digvijay Singh, Vivek Tankha, Ajay Singh, Arun Yadav and Suresh Pachouri. They apprised her about his election as the CLP leader.
The Congress named Nath to head the CLP on Thursday night after hours of hectic parleys held by party chief Rahul Gandhi with senior party leaders. (PTI)
