With assembly elections in Rajasthan now less than six months away, the Congress party is grappling with a make-or-break leadership tussle between current Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, former Deputy Chief Minister. The senior Congress leaders convened on Thursday to discuss potential strategies for the election, while also attempting to resolve the ongoing leadership dispute.
According to sources, Mr Pilot has expressed his desire for a respectable position within the party as a condition for his continued role in the Congress campaign in Rajasthan. Mr Gehlot, however, while nursing fractures in both toes, remains reluctant to share power, aiming to lead the party firmly and under the banner of his social welfare pitch.
The meeting, which was held at the party's headquarters, saw the participation of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, and state in-charge Sukhjinder Randhawa. Also present were state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra, and other senior Rajasthan Congress leaders. Mr Gehlot joined via video conference and Mr Pilot was seen sitting next to Mr Gandhi in Delhi.
In a tweet following the meeting, Mr Kharge expressed optimism for the Congress's prospects in Rajasthan, stating the party will "unitedly go amongst the people."
The Rajasthan elections are crucial for the Congress, as the party hopes to break the state's revolving door trend, where the incumbent party has routinely been voted out of power. But the disagreement between two of its top leaders complicates the scenario, cornering the party into resolving its leadership issues.
The Congress leadership hopes to apply lessons learned from the recent resolution of a similar power struggle in Chhattisgarh, where Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's political rival TS Singh Deo was named his deputy last week.
Over the past months, Mr Pilot has been publicly critical of the Mr Gehlot's administration over alleged inaction against corruption charges levied against the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government. Mr Pilot has also called for the disbanding of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission and demanded action for victims of job exam paper leaks.
The two leaders, however, appeared headed for reconciliation after several attempts, with both Mr Gehlot and Mr Pilot engaging in extensive discussions with Mr Kharge and Mr Gandhi in May.
In a move seemingly intended to placate Mr Pilot, Mr Gehlot announced earlier this week that the Rajasthan government plans to introduce a bill to increase punishment for those involved in recruitment exam paper leaks.
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