Support For Ashok Gehlot May Cost Key Aide Assembly Ticket: Sources

A 2022 episode of the Ashok Gehlot-Sachin Pilot saga came back to haunt one of the Rajasthan chief minister's close aides when the Congress high command allegedly objected to his name figuring on the list of probable candidates for the state elections next month. When the minister's candidature came up, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is learnt to have asked how those who work against the party could feature in such a list. 

Sources said that, apart from Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal, tickets for two other ministers may also be in jeopardy.

The Congress Central Election Committee which includes party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former presidents Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, met in New Delhi on Wednesday. It was given a list of probable candidates for the assembly polls by the screening committee, consisting of Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, among others.

Sticking Point

Sources said that the party high command objected to Mr Dhariwal's name being on the list. The minister was one of three Congress leaders - the others being Mahesh Joshi and Dharmendra Rathore - who were issued a show-cause notice by the central leadership for their alleged rebellion ahead of the party's presidential elections last year.

When Ashok Gehlot had emerged as one of the main contenders for the party president's post and it was later said that he would have to give up the chief ministership of Rajasthan under the 'one man-one post principle', at least 80 MLAs close to him had submitted their resignations to the Assembly speaker. The MLAs were opposed to Sachin Pilot being named the next chief minister and had cited his 2020 rebellion against the government.

On September 25, 2022, the MLAs had also held a meeting at Mr Dhariwal's residence instead of attending the Congress Legislature Party meeting, which then had to be cancelled. Mr Dhariwal had also allegedly said that Mr Gehlot was the "real high command". Congress central observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken had to return to New Delhi without attending the meeting. 

After Mr Maken and Mr Kharge had accused them of gross indiscipline, show-cause notices had been issued to Mr Dhariwal, Mahesh Joshi, who is also a minister, and Dharmendra Rathore, who is an aspirant for an Assembly poll ticket this year. 

In a press conference on Thursday, Mr Gehlot defended his supporters, without naming anybody, and said that there are no alternatives for their seats. The chief minister also said that he has not objected to any of the MLAs in Sachin Pilot's camp being given tickets. 

Candidate Choice

Sources said 106 of the seats had names of just one candidate, which led Rahul Gandhi to remark that they should consider whether there are no other contenders for these seats. 

They added that consensus was reached on 55-60 names and the remaining will be reconsidered. "Apart from Shanti Dhariwal, tickets of two other ministers may also be in question," a source said. 

It is now expected that the first Rajasthan list of the Congress will be released a few days after Priyanka Gandhi's rally in the state on Friday. 

The Congress Screening Committee will meet again on Saturday and give the list to the Central Election Committee on Sunday. Rajasthan will vote on November 25 and counting will be held on December 3.