Rajasthan: A gathering of the Congress’ Rajasthan MLAs has been scheduled for Sunday night in Jaipur amid rumours that Sachin Pilot may ultimately succeed Ashok Gehlot as Chief Minister while he serves as Congress president. Senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge has been designated as an observer by the party’s Delhi headquarters, and Ajay Maken, the state in-charge, will also be present.
The race to become the first non-Gandhi Congress chief in 20 years is now being led by Ashok Gehlot.
He hesitated and fought back, even calling a gathering of MLAs earlier this week as a show of strength since he did not want to lose control of Rajasthan. But after receiving a loud warning from Rahul Gandhi, he eventually bowed to the party’s “one man, one post” guideline.
This suggests that Sachin Pilot, who lost his position as deputy chief minister following a botched coup attempt in 2020, may now receive the promotion he sought out then. At the very least, Mr. Gehlot needed a stand-in loyalist. But it doesn’t seem likely.
Just six months before the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Rajasthan will hold elections at the end of the next year. It is one of only two states, along with Chhattisgarh, where the Congress holds sole authority.
Pieces went swiftly this past week because to the urgency.
When the party’s MLAs last gathered in Jaipur, it was for Ashok Gehlot’s power display. Sachin Pilot was away supporting Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Yatra.” Mr. Gehlot joined Rahul when Mr. Pilot got back.
Sachin Pilot merely stated that the “high command will decide,” whereas Mr. Gehlot spoke with Sonia Gandhi, the party’s leader, and even asked Rahul Gandhi to assume the position of head. But Rahul Gandhi remained certain that someone other than a Gandhi must be chosen.
Once Rahul Gandhi stated at a news conference that he expected “commitments made at Udaipur to be respected,” Mr. Gehlot’s quest for a dual role was completely defeated.
The party had decided on the single-post strategy in Udaipur, which is also in Rajasthan, three years prior.
As of right now, Shashi Tharoor, one of the 23 leaders who had called for the polls and a full-time president, is Ashok Gehlot’s competition for the position of chief. Another member of the G-23, Manish Tewari, has also expressed interest.
The deadline to submit nominations for the October 17 election is September 30. The outcomes will be made public on October 19. Over 9,000 delegates from all over India cast ballots.
When this election was last held, in 2017, there was no need to vote because Rahul Gandhi was unopposed. Voting was last required in 2001, when Jitendra Prasad ran against Sonia Gandhi in what ended up being a symbolic contest. She was elected with more than 99 percent of the vote and continued to be so until 2017, when Rahul Gandhi was promoted from vice-chief to party president. Of course, she was never challenged.
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Two months after the party lost another Lok Sabha election, which PM Narendra Modi won with even more votes, he resigned in 2019. The acting president since then is Sonia Gandhi.
Despite this, Rahul Gandhi is still undoubtedly the party’s spokesperson. While Rahul Gandhi is travelling 3,500 kilometres from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to strengthen himself and the party in front of the 2024 election, a non-Gandhi candidate could help to dispel the nepotism accusation. A crucial stop is Rajasthan.
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