Nearly 90 MLAs supporting Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot rose in rebellion on Sunday evening by heading to resign from the Rajasthan Assembly with the Congress top leadership initiating a process to install his bete noir Sachin Pilot as his successor while the former becomes the party chief.
On a day that witnessed unprecedented drama in Jaipur, the party leadership could not hold the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on schedule at 7:30 pm where a one-line resolution to authorise Congress president Sonia Gandhi to choose Gehlot’s successor had to be adopted.
The MLAs, numbering 92 by one count, drove to Speaker CP Joshi’s residence to submit their resignations in protest against the move to install former Deputy Chief Minister Pilot, whom they said would not accept as he had rebelled against Gehlot in 2020 putting the government in danger, as the Chief Minister. However, they later returned from his residence.
Late at night, Sonia instructed senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken to speak to MLAs individually to know their minds. Maken said they would not be leaving Jaipur for Delhi immediately and would finish the exercise at the earliest as instructed by Sonia.
Sources said Gehlot supporters want a new Chief Minister only after the organisational election is over and the choice should be acceptable to Gehlot. Any decision on Gehlot's successor will be taken only after the presidential election, sources indicated.
The latest developments in Jaipur and the show of strength by Gehlot supporters, with the tacit blessings of the Chief Minister, are seen as an erosion of the authority of the leadership. The show of strength also put Pilot in a spot as it made it clear that he has very few supporters in the 108-strong CLP, seriously damaging his bid for Chief Ministership.
Gehlot was reluctant to move out of Jaipur to Delhi as Congress president but last month, Sonia urged him to lead the party after Rahul Gandhi made it clear that he would not wish to return as party chief. He wanted to retain his Chief Minister post but Rahul last Thursday made it clear that he expects everyone to follow the ‘one person, one post’ norm adopted at the Udaipur conclave and that Pilot is
Since then, Gehlot had tweaked his stand and expressed his willingness to step down but at the same time had told the party High Command that he wanted his loyalist to be at the helm. Rahul again was learnt to have conveyed to Gehlot that he should make way for Pilot.
Gehlot supporters also want that his successor should be someone who was instrumental in saving the government during the political crisis in 2020 when Pilot raised a rebellion and not someone who was involved in toppling it.
The day saw a series of meetings by both camps with the epicentre for Gehlot camp's meetings being the residence of senior minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal where a number of MLAs gathered in what was seen as a bid to pressurise the leadership.
This came even as Gehlot made it clear that the Legislature Party meeting would adopt a one-line resolution authorising Sonia to take a decision, as per the party’s practice. However, his supporters had been upping the ante with independent MLA Sanyam Lodha, an Advisor to the Chief Minister and supporting the government, told reporters that if a decision was not taken as per MLAs' wishes, then the government could even fall.
The Gehlot camp was also raising the tempo with Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas saying that Gehlot should resign only after the election. Just before the MLAs headed to Joshi’s residence, he said, “ Gehlot should pay heed to the suggestions of MLAs. We have 92 MLAs with us. All the MLAs are angry and resigning. MLAs are upset that how Gehlot can take a decision without consulting them.”
On his part, Gehlot said he has been in one or the other Constitutional post for 40 years and it was time for the new generation to get a chance now. "I have been doing politics for the last 50 years. I have remained in some constitutional post or other for 40 years. What more I can get and want? So, it is in my mind that the new generation should get a chance and we all will together give a leadership in the country," he said.
He disclosed that he had made it clear to the party high command in August itself that retaining power in the state was important, irrespective of who was the chief minister.
(With PTI inputs.)