NEW DELHI: Congress is unlikely to project chief ministerial faces in the end-year assembly elections to three BJP-ruled states, a possibility which may come as a jolt to the old guard in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan .

Congress sources said the party was hopeful of its performance in Chhattisgarh , MP and Rajasthan where BJP is saddled with anti-incumbency. Sources said the party was disinclined to project a leader and expressed confidence that the move would not lead to a clash of competing interests.

Sources cited Karnataka and Gujarat where the party managed a cohesive campaign despite presence of a clutch of leaders. “Once you put them in the bus, they are all united,” a leader said, referring to the road campaign where all leaders sat in one bus and undertook a joint campaign.

In Rajasthan, while former CM Ashok Gehlot is a strong claimant for the job, the state unit is headed by the much younger Sachin Pilot . MP has three big leaders in state chief Kamal Nath, former CM Digvijay Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

A united house will be critical to Congress’s fortunes. The battle is even being framed in existential terms for Congress in MP and Chhattisgarh where it has failed to unseat BJP for three terms. Sources said talks were on with BSP and SP for alliance in these states but the issue was far from settled. The three states go to polls in November-December.

