Ashok Gehlot vs Sachin Pilot: A history of power tussles in Rajasthan

Rajasthan is once again on the brink of a leadership crisis. The tussle between the topmost Congress leaders in the state has snowballed and is now threatening to burst at the seams.

The Congress in Rajasthan plunged into a crisis after several MLAs loyal to Ashok Gehlot, seen as the frontrunner for the post of party's national president, submitted their resignation letters over a possible move to appoint Sachin Pilot as the next CM.

The MLAs have three major demands: 1) A decision on the selection of chief minister should be taken after the Congress presidential election; 2) the chief minister should be from among those MLAs who stood with the government during the political crisis in 2020 and not from the Pilot camp; 3) and the AICC observers should hold meetings in groups instead of one-to-one as sought by the high command.

Read | Gehlot loyalists plunge Rajasthan Congress in crisis, give resignation letters to Speaker

This begs the question: who are these loyalists and how did they stand with Gehlot in 2020? and how old is the Pilot versus Gehlot tussle?

After the Congress's dismal performance in the 2013 Assembly elections in the face of the Modi wave, the Congress appointed Sachin Pilot as the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president.

After getting just over 20 seats in 2013, the Congress won over 100 seats in the 2018 Assembly elections. This landslide change was largely attributed to the new poster boy of Rajasthan politics: Sachin Pilot. It was widely considered that Pilot may wear the chief ministerial crown.

The Congress high command however chose Gehlot as the chief minister for the third time while Pilot was made his deputy. Gehlot, more experienced than Pilot, comes from an OBC community against Pilot's Gujjar caste, and the party believed that Gehlot's status would favour its image over Pilot's.

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After 2018, Gehlot and Pilot were seen at loggerheads, firstly over party tickets and later over the CM throne.

After the abysmal performance by the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan and the Gehlot's son losing his seat, friction between the two grew further, often erupting in open jibes and barbs.

In July 2020, Pilot along with 18 party MLAs rebelled against Gehlot's leadership, who in turn had him fired as minister and disqualified his camp of MLAs. The Congress was on the brink of losing the state as rumours were rife that BJP was in talks with the anti-Gehlot camp. Pilot and his loyalists, however, denied the claim. Gehlot even released audio tapes wherein BJP leaders were heard holding negotiations for horse trading.

The 2020 debacle also brought to fire the old versus young debate in the Congress. Experts believe that the party's old guard stands too firmly on its position, not wanting to yield, not giving way to the young in the party to make their impression.

The weekend action by Congress MLAs who support Ashok Gehlot was largely led by the top brass's insistence on letting Sachin Pilot take the reigns in the event of Gehlot emerging as the party President.

For Gehlot, conceding to Pilot as CM in Rajasthan despite becoming Congress president is difficult because it would diminish his clout in the party apparatus.

(With agency, DHNS inputs)