Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot made the announcement at a press conference in Delhi.
Highlights
- Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot seen as Congress' main chief ministerial faces
- Rajasthan votes in assembly elections on December 7
- Congress was seen to be reluctant to field both to avoid tussle at top
Both Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot will contest the December 7 Rajasthan election, the Congress party has decided as it tackles a much-reported rift between its two top leaders in the state, both chief ministerial aspirants.
"I and Sachin Pilot will both fight the Rajasthan assembly elections," Ashok Gehlot, a former chief minister, told reporters in Delhi, Sachin Pilot by his side.
Sachin Pilot added: "On Congress president Rahul Gandhi's instruction and on Gehlotji's request, I have decided to contest the assembly elections."
Who among the two would contest the election has been the subject of much speculation in the run-up to the polls. Both are seen as the Congress's candidates for chief minister; the party hopes to win back the BJP-ruled state riding on what it sees as anti-incumbency.
"We have said many times that whatever Rahul Gandhi decides on CM (chief minister) and we will abide by that. It's a tradition for Congress in Rajasthan to not declare CM before elections," Mr Gehlot told reporters.
The Congress in Rajasthan is deeply divided between factions loyal to Ashok Gehlot, the veteran, and 41-year-old Sachin Pilot, the state Congress chief, representing a younger leadership.
The party was seen to be reluctant to field either of them, if only to avoid the inevitable tussle for the top post if it does win.
The party's Rajasthan unit advised its leadership to follow the Madhya Pradesh model of not declaring a chief ministerial face; a similar rivalry for the top job is seen between Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia.
A section in the party believes both should stay out of the contest and focus on campaigning across the state as they are seen as crowd-pullers. Another section feels the two should contest - Ashok Gehlot from his seat Sardarpura and Sachin Pilot from a seat in Ajmer - his old parliamentary constituency - or Dausa, from where his father was an MP.
Sachin Pilot was minister in the Manmohan Singh government but lost the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Ajmer. Earlier this year, he did not contest the by-elections for the seat, which the Congress won by a huge margin.
This morning, the BJP parliamentarian from Dausa, Harish Meena, quit his party and joined the Congress, delivering a blow to the ruling party.
Results in Rajasthan will be declared on December 11.