When Ram Prakash Gupta was picked up as the UP Chief Ministerial candidate in 1998, he wasn’t expecting it at all. But this time he was sure he would get a gubernatorial post even before it was officially announced that he would be the first citizen of Madhya Pradesh. ‘‘I opted to be the Governor of Uttaranchal where I have spent 50 years but I have been given a larger state,’’ Gupta said.‘‘It is late. Had I had been placed there earlier, there would have been some political gains,’’ said Gupta. Before leaving for Madhya Pradesh, the former chief minister is willing to visit to New Delhi to meet the party high command.Does he foresee any hardships in the state with Congress CM Digvijay Singh, an astute politician himself, in command? ‘‘This depends on the Governor; on how he reacts to situations. The post is non-political and I don’t expect to face hardships,’’ he said. But wouldn’t MP have been a good assignment if there were a BJP CM because the Hindutva plank matters there for the coming Assembly elections? ‘‘I have no political mission to accomplish in that state. I will discharge my duty as the Governor which is an apolitical post,’’ he said.Gupta had reportedly been lobbying with his mentor Murli Manohar Joshi for the post.
