Gehlot to meet Sonia Gandhi on Thursday to resolve Rajasthan crisis

Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday to end the ongoing political crisis in the state, triggered by the open revolt of MLAs supporting him, as well as to clear the picture on his status - both in the state as well in the party presidential poll, as per Congress sources.

Gehlot was supposed to leave Jaipur for Delhi on Wednesday evening but his plan was postponed and now, there are possibilities of him leaving later. They said that Congress Central Election Authority chief Madhusudan Mistry is not in Delhi on Thursday and hence candidates for presidential post can apply only on the last day of nominations, on September 30.

Meanwhile, in the midst of political turmoil, this afternoon, Gehlot met several senior leaders including Assembly Speaker C.P. Joshi and Minister Shanti Dhariwal. Sharing the information, state minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas claimed that Gehlot is not resigning.

On the question if Gehlot will file nomination for the post of President, he said that only the Chief Minister and the central leadership are aware of this fact.

Meanwhile, veteran leader Digvijaya Singh’s name has been doing the rounds for the post of President, as he left Bharat Jodo Yatra in between to go to Delhi.

'Clear in two days'

Congress leader KC Venugopal on Wednesday said that there is no drama in the state and everything will be clear in a day or two about who will be the next chief minister.

Venugopal told ANI, “The media may see this as a drama but at least you are discussing the INC president election. You cannot discuss the presidential election of any other party in this country.”

The Congress leader said that the party is carrying forward the election for the presidential poll in a “democratic manner”.

“Congress is doing it in a very democratic manner, it will end in two days smoothly,” he said.

Earlier. Congress leaders Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge visited Rajasthan and said they will submit their observations to Sonia Gandhi over the rebellion by party MLAs in the state over the move to find a successor to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Yesterday, Maken and Kharge submitted reports on the developments in Jaipur to Sonia Gandhi and recommended action against the three party leaders.

Sources had earlier said that the status quo will be maintained till the process is over for filing nominations.

However, with the deepening political crisis in Rajasthan, Congress Working Committee members have demanded from Sonia Gandhi to pull the state chief minister out of the race for the party chief and select another candidate for the top post, sources said.

Miffed over the recent political developments in the crisis-hit state and the conduct of the MLAs of the Gehlot camp, the CWC members have registered a complaint against him with the party chief and said, “It would not be good to have faith in him and give him the responsibility of the party. The party top leadership should reconsider his candidature”.

The members have urged Sonia Gandhi to make another such person a candidate who is a senior leader and also loyal to the Gandhi family.

The MLAs of the Gehlot camp had not attended the meeting of the Congress legislative party (CLP) scheduled on Sunday evening at the residence of Gehlot in Jaipur the presence of the observers, which was attended by the Sachin Pilot and his camp MLAs. Gehlot loyalists had held a meeting with Cabinet Minister Shanti Dhariwal at his residence, following which over 90 MLAs had submitted their resignations to Speaker CP Joshi.