Ashok Gehlot directed the MLAs to make sure the Assembly functions smoothly.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said all Congress MLAs will need to reach New Delhi should he decide to file nomination for the upcoming organisational elections. The remark, made during a legislature party meeting, came amid the ongoing power tussle between Gehlot and his intra-party rival Sachin Pilot. There have been demands that Pilot be handed over the reins of the state if Gehlot -- a vocal Rahul Gandhi supporter -- is elected as the Congress president.
A cabinet minister told the news agency PTI that Gehlot will visit Kerala's Kochi where he will ask Gandhi to contest the Congress polls.
Pratap Singh Khachariyawas told reporters, "The chief minister said that if he files nomination for the party's national president post, then legislators will get a message to reach New Delhi."
He added that Gehlot faces no anti-incumbency in the state and he would not be away from the people even if he becomes the chief of the Congress party.
He said he directed the MLAs to make sure the Assembly functions smoothly.
The last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 8 and the election, if required, will be held on October 17. The results will be out on October 19.
According to reports, the Gandhis want a non-Gandhi Congress chief to neutralise the BJP's charge of dynasty politics. Gehlot is the family's preferred choice.
Shashi Tharoor, a signatory to the embarrassing G-23 letter, is reportedly mulling taking on Gehlot. He had recently called for transparency in the internal elections.
Pilot has been vying for the chief ministerial post since the party came to power in 2018. He had led a rebellion against the party that fizzled out as he couldn't muster enough numbers.
There has been heightened tension between Gehlot and Pilot as the 2023 Rajasthan elections approach, with loyalists of both the leaders taking potshots at each other.
Congress hasn't had a full-time president since Rahul Gandhi resigned in 2019, assuming the responsibility for the party's dismal performance in the general elections. After weeks of to-and-fro, the party couldn't find his replacement. Sonia Gandhi was then elected as the interim party president.
Several senior party members have been demanding sweeping organizational changes.
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 "Ashok Gehlot (File)")
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