At Congress Meet, Step 1 To Truce Between Sachin Pilot, Ashok Gehlot

The Congress appears to made a beginning in solving the leadership tangle in Rajasthan that hamstrung its campaign. While it is not known if a deal has been offered to Sachin Pilot -- whose very public face-offs with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been making headlines for over two years -- the party appears ready to back his governance pitch. There was no word on whether something more has been offered to Mr Pilot - but a big hint appeared to the party's decision to project no Chief Ministerial face. Mr Pilot has been offered a bonus - sources said the Deputy Chief Minister will be from his camp.

It is also not known how the arrangement sits with Ashok Gehlot, who had passed up the chance to head the Congress as its president to continue as the state Chief Minister.

Sources said Mr Pilot had sought a respectable position within the party as a pre-condition for his continued role in the campaign. Mr Gehlot, however, is not ready to share power and appears ready for a second term.

Mr Pilot on Thursday said the government is ready to meet his three key demands: Investigation into the corruption charges against former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, strengthen laws and take strict action against the accused of exam paper leaks and reforms in the state Public Service Commission.

"The issues I had flagged - like paper leak, which hugely affects young people, how to make the public service commission stronger and more efficient, and the corruption charges against the last government -- the AICC has taken cognizance of it. A plan has been made to look into all of it," Mr Pilot told the media this evening after a marathon meeting of state party leaders attended by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

He added that he was ready to work in whatever capacity the party demands.

The party had met to formulate the Rajasthan campaign strategy, but before that there was the question of brokering peace between the two warring leaders.

After solving the Karnataka conundrum of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar -- who shared a somewhat similar equation - the party has managed to get Ashok Gehlot on board to meet Sachin Pilot's demands.

Over the last months, Mr Pilot has been holding protests against his party's government over his demands. It was seen as doing the party a disfavour in a state already heading for elections.

In May, Mr Gehlot and Sachin Pilot had met the party's central leaders in Delhi, after which party leader KC Venugopal had said that the party will fight the polls unitedly.