Congress faces crisis in Rajasthan as 90 MLAs loyal to CM threaten to resign

Congress workers and supporters celebrate after the party's victory in Rajasthan Assembly elections, at party office in Jaipur. (File image: PTI)

Ahead of the Congress presidential polls, a crisis has erupted in Rajasthan as over 90 MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot have threatened to resign if Sachin Pilot is chosen as the next chief minister.

According to sources, on the directions of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, two senior party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken had reached Jaipur to have a meeting with the legislators, but they skipped the meeting.
The Congress will be electing its president on October 17 and Gehlot is seen as the frontrunner.

ALSO READ: Congress president poll: As Ashok Gehlot throws his hat in the ring, Sachin Pilot supporters upbeat about his rise as CM

Before Congress issued the notification for the elections, Gehlot faced no hurdles in holding the post of chief minister and Congress president. However, his stand changed after Rahul Gandhi told media persons that the party has the rule of ‘one man, one post’.

Political crisis

The deadlock started on Sunday evening when MLAs close to Gehlot attended a meeting at legislator Shanti Dhariwal’s residence. They passed a resolution that the next chief minister should be from Gehlot’s camp.

Sources said these MLAs want one of these three leaders – CP Joshi, Shanti Dhariwal, and BK Kalla – as the next CM. The MLAs were against Pilot, saying he had tried to topple the government in 2020.

Sources say the party high command is interested in elevating Pilot as chief minister, if Gehlot wins the election for the Congress president post.

Gehlot loyalists had revolted much before the party polls. “The party did not consult the members of the Pradesh Congress Committee and the legislators in making Sachin Pilot its choice. We have elections next year and Pilot doesn’t have a ground connect,” said an official of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee.

Pressure tactic

After a meeting at Dhariwal’s residence, the MLAs went to Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi's residence to submit their resignations. Sources said the legislators had a “clear message” that they won’t accept Pilot as the next chief minister.

Rajasthan in-charge Ajay Maken attacked Gehlot loyalists, saying that the act of calling a parallel meeting while a Congress Legislative Party meeting was already planned is prima facie indiscipline.

Maken told reporters that the legislators wanted to pass a resolution to leave the decision to the Congress president, but the decision should be taken after October 19. “We said if Ashok Gehlot becomes Congress president after October 19, he is empowering himself on his own resolution. It’s a conflict of interest,” he said.

The high-voltage political drama heats up at a time when Rahul Gandhi continues leading the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. Last week, Pilot had also joined Gandhi in Madavana in the foot march.

Power struggle

The rift between Gehlot and Pilot intensified in 2018 soon after the Assembly elections. Outside the office of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee, thousands of people had gathered in favour of Pilot as chief minister. The senior leadership had held multiple rounds of meeting and later it overlooked Pilot in favour of Gehlot for the chief minister's post.

The rift between the two further intensified in July 2020. The Rajasthan police had issued notices to Pilot to record his statement in connection with the alleged attempts to topple the Congress government.
Soon after the notices were issued, Pilot showed signs of leading a rebellion and bringing the Gehlot government on the brink of collapse.

Pilot had skipped two important meetings called by Gehlot, but he stayed in a hotel in Manesar along with 18 MLAs of his camp amid reports that he was in talks with the BJP.