Kamal Nath to be sworn in on Dec 17 (Lead)

Bhopal : Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on December 17.

The 72-year-old veteran leader told reporters after meeting Governor Anandiben Patel that the ceremony will be held in the Lal Parade Ground here.

Kamal Nath was accompanied by a delegation of leaders including former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, Vivek Tankha, MP, Arun Yadav and Deepak Babaria, general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh.

He was chosen as the Congress Legislature Party leader at a meeting late last night after two days of consultations, including parleys held by party chief on Thursday.

The party won 114 seats in the 230-member House. It fell two seats short of the halfway-mark, but ensured the support of a total of 121 MLAs with Samajwadi Party - one seat, Bahujan Samaj Party - two, and four Independents backing it.