A group of Congress MLAs loyal to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot submitted their resignations to Assembly speaker CP Joshi late Sunday ahead of a crucial legislature party meeting that is scheduled to take place to pick his likely successor. The MLAs were seen leaving the speaker’s residence after submitting their resignation. They denied passing any resolution on choosing the new chief minister leaving the decision to Congress’ high command.
The late-night development came amid reports that former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot could become the chief minister as Ashok Gehlot declared his candidature for the Congress national president’s post.
Congress observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken, along with Gehlot, reached the chief minister’s residence where the Congress Legislature Party meeting was supposed to be held. Sachin Pilot also reached there separately.
Gehlot will have to quit as chief minister if he wins the Congress national presidential elections, as the grand old party has a “one-man one-post” policy.
Earlier on Sunday, the group of Congress MLAs loyal to Gehlot held a meeting at state minister Shanti Dhariwal’s residence and then left for speaker CP Joshi’s residence to submit their resignation.
Some of these MLAs said that Ashok Gehlot’s successor should be someone who was instrumental in saving the Rajasthan government during the political crisis in 2020 and not someone who was involved in the bid to topple it, a veiled reference to Sachin Pilot.
“All the MLAs are angry and are resigning. We are going to the speaker for that. MLAs are upset that how can CM Ashok Gehlot take a decision without consulting them,” Congress MLA Pratap Singh Khachariyawas told news agency ANI.
After the Congress won the Rajasthan assembly elections in 2018, Gehlot and Pilot were at loggerheads for the chief minister’s post. The high command then chose Gehlot as the chief minister for the third time while Pilot was made his deputy.
Pilot rebelled against Gehlot in July 2020 and camped in Haryana accompanied by MLAs who supported him. The Congress accused Pilot of taking support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to topple the Gehlot government and there were speculations of him joining the saffron party.
However, Pilot asserted that he was not joining the BJP.
He finally announced his return to Rajasthan after the Gandhi family’s intervention, who reportedly assured him that his grievances will be addressed.
