The Congress high command is worried about the party’s prospects in next month’s Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, the encouraging feedback from the ground overshadowed by intense faction tussles over selection of candidates.

Sources said senior leaders had firmly positioned themselves to protect their turfs and the façade of unity and collective leadership had completely broken down over distribution of tickets.

By contrast, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, they said, have shown greater maturity in Rajasthan, another BJP-ruled state where elections are scheduled later this year.

Many Congress insiders lay the entire blame for the situation in Madhya Pradesh at Jyotiraditya Scindia’s door, alleging that the young leader had adopted a non-compromising attitude.

Others point to a convergence of interests among veterans Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh, Ajay Singh and Suresh Pachauri on restricting the Gwalior scion to his fief.

They say the veterans have been forced to close ranks because of Scindia’s proximity to party chief Rahul Gandhi, although there is no coordination among themselves on election management for the November 28 vote.

Sources said Scindia has given his own list of candidates not only for Gwalior-Guna but other districts too, including Datia, Shivpuri, Indore, Bhind and Bhopal, but most senior leaders believe his suggestions were based on “loyalty”, not “winnability”.

“It is true that the list of candidates is stuck in the tussle among senior leaders,” one leader told The Telegraph from Bhopal. “But the problem is that assessments are being made on political realities of the past, ignoring that Jyotiraditya had altered the political dynamics with his hard work over the last two years.”

The leader spoke of an “old lobby in the state” that had always offered small concessions to Jyotiraditya’s father, the late Madhavrao Scindia, in Gwalior and Guna.

“Madhavrao was also largely confined to his fief. But Jyotiraditya has doubtless expanded his reach, working very hard in all the regions, anticipating that he would be given the reins of the state before the election,” the leader said.

“That did not happen as Kamal Nath was chosen by Rahul Gandhi because of lesser opposition to his leadership,” the leader added. “But Jyotiraditya has managed to create a wider network of supporters in the state.”

Other leaders too acknowledged this, saying Jyotiraditya, much like Digvijaya, had established himself as a key player in the state.

A former MP said Digvijaya too had rediscovered his support base through his six-month-long Narmada yatra that he concluded in April this year and it would be “foolish to presume” that the former chief minister is not in the leadership race.

“An intense tug of war is going on behind the scenes and selecting a leader won’t be easy if the Congress gets the numbers. So all the leaders are fighting to ensure that the maximum number of their supporters get tickets.”

He added: “Kamal Nath is taking a wider view as he is the state unit president but Digvijaya and Scindia won’t yield an inch. We hope this rivalry evaporates after the candidates are selected. Otherwise, the consequences will be terrible.”

Digvijaya had told party workers a few days ago: “Even if your enemy gets the ticket, you have to support him as the party is above individual interests.”

But his anguish came through when he said: “I am not campaigning because some leaders feel the Congress loses votes when I speak.”

It can’t be denied that Digvijaya could have been handled better. Despite the talk of “collective leadership”, there has been a conscious effort to cut him out of the frame during the campaign.

The veteran has been conspicuous by his absence at key party rallies over the past few weeks although most leaders accept that he is still the most powerful Congress leader in the state.