Congress tries to grapple with Rajasthan rebellion
After around 80 members of Rajasthan Congress offered to resign in the state as they feared a transfer of power from their leader, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to another CM. Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi on September 26 expressed her disappointment at the events in Rajasthan state and ordered a written report on the turmoil which saw scores of lawmakers defying the central leadership in an unprecedented rebellion. Sonia Gandhi met party observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken, who were unable to hold a legislature party meeting in Jaipur on September 25 evening due to the rebellion by 92 legislators ostensibly close to chief minister Ashok Gehlot. The cause for the unprecedented rebellion is that Gehlot loyalists don’t want former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot to become the next CM. Rebel MLAs even met speaker CP Joshi with a resignation letter. The Congress high command thinks that this threatens to jeopardize the party’s succession plan in Jaipur and its upcoming presidential poll. Party leaders in Delhi spent the whole day trying to talk to both camps and find a solution to end the political crisis in one of the only two states that Congress rules on its own. Ashok Gehlot was expected to file his nomination for the October 17 poll but a section of the party believes that Gehlot should no longer be considered as the next party president and other candidates can be explored while another section maintains that the internal election could be held after the Rajasthan crisis is resolved.