Bhopal, Sept. 6: Digvijaya Singh has tied the knot with Amrita Rai, 16 months after admitting his relationship with the TV news anchor.

The wedding of the Congress general secretary, 68, and Amrita, 44, reportedly took place in Chennai in the last week of August.

The announcement was made by Amrita on Facebook this morning.

"I would like to share with my friends that I and Digvijaya Singh have married in a solemn ceremony, as per Hindu rites. We have also later registered our marriage."

She added: "I have married Digvijaya Singh for love. Therefore, I have already requested him to transfer all his property and belongings to his sons and daughters. I only want to embark on this new journey with him, working towards a dignified, professional career."

But there was a sense of surprise in Bhopal among close relatives of Digvijaya, a widower, with many wondering why the two-time Madhya Pradesh chief minister had chosen not to inform his politician-brother Laxman Singh and others.

Jaivardhan, Digvijaya's son and the Congress MLA from their native Raghogarh who recently got married himself, declined comment. Sources close to Jaivardhan, however, said he would stand by his father's decision.

Digvijaya is in the US, attending to his ailing daughter Karnika. He did not respond to calls and email queries. A senior Congress leader, however, claimed Digvijaya wanted to make a public statement after his return on September 12. Digvijaya's first wife Asha passed away in 2013 after prolonged illness. He has four daughters and a son.

Sources said Digvijaya had earlier this year settled property issues with his brother, son and other legal heirs. As the erstwhile ruler of Raghogarh principality, Digvijaya has partial ownership of a 16th century palace and acres of farmland, gold and other properties worth around Rs 13 crore.

Since April last year when Digvijaya admitted the relationship after some photos of the couple's intimate moments were leaked on a few sites, there had been constant speculation on social media and Congress circles whether Digvijaya would marry Amrita. Later, the couple were spotted having dinner at a Delhi star hotel on Valentine's Day this February.

In her Facebook post today, Amrita, who works with Rajya Sabha TV, referred to her ordeal after the leak of the photos and alleged she was a victim of cyber crime. She had last year said her email had been hacked. Today, she recalled how she was "treated like a criminal" after the photo leak. "I was trolled and abused in most derogatory language for no fault of mine...I kept a dignified silence and went on with my work, believing in myself and my love for Digvijaya."

Amrita, a divorcee, feared some questions would be raised even after her announcement about the marriage, mostly about her age difference with Digvijaya. "But I sincerely feel that at my age, I know what is good for me and I can take my decisions as per my own wisdom. We live in a modern, progressive India, and the constitutional and legal framework has empowered me to decide about my life and my life's choices."

She added: "I also know that motives can be attributed to my decision. Time is the only final arbitrator in such matters. I am a professional woman, who has worked hard throughout my career, and have made a place and reputation for myself. I believe in my professional capabilities and like other modern women, I have and will continue to shoulder my personal and family responsibilities on my own." Amrita has been on leave the past two weeks.