The party high command is wary that the infighting in its state unit will cast a shadow on the Yatra in Rajasthan.
The Rahul Gandhi-led ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is all set to enter Rajasthan on December 4 and will leave the state around December 20. However, the Rajasthan leg of the ambitious march, which the party hopes will revive its electoral fortunes, is already giving it sleepless nights in wake of the ongoing power tussle between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot.
The party high command is wary that the infighting in its state unit will cast a shadow on the Yatra in Rajasthan, which goes to polls next year when the Congress faces a formidable challenge from the BJP. In its bid to shelve the issue of chief ministership, at least for the next fortnight, party in-charge K C Venugopal was sent to Jaipur and a joint press conference between Gehlot and Pilot was held to show that all is well within the state unit.
However, according to a News18 report, posters have come up projecting Gehlot as the real and only leader of the state, a claim countered by Pilot’s supporters who say their posters were pulled down by the authorities on instructions of the CM office.
The Yatra will pass through areas such as Jhalawar and Dausa which are considered strongholds of Pilot. In these areas, Pilot loyalists have been continuously demanding the Congress leadership to announce him as the CM before the Yatra enters the state.
On Saturday morning, Pilot tweeted a video in which he can be seen tying shoelaces, similar to how Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi did during the Yatra, and running with supporters, and asking if people will join him.
The Pilot camp is well aware of the fact that the Gehlot would not be willing to cede even an inch of space to his bitter rival to make sure that he gets little traction during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Also evidently, Gehlot, being the chief minister, will be the main lead after Rahul in the Yatra.
Pilot is confident that the party leadership will announce him as the chief minister, if not now then after the Yatra has left the state. However, with the issue remaining shelved for the past three months following an assurance by Jairam Ramesh in September that a resolution will be found “within 2 days”, Pilot and his supports are becoming restless.
The party has told both leaders that a call on who remains or becomes chief minister will be taken only after December 20 when the Yatra leaves the desert state. Hence, till then, they must ensure there is no storm, reported News18.
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 "Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot with Rahul Gandhi - File Photo")
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