Congress is witnessing a tussle mainly between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot.
New Delhi: As political parties are gearing up for 2023 Assembly elections in Rajasthan, the Congress is undergoing a tussle in the state between its top leadership, mainly between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot.
The newly emerging infighting is ringing in disruptive changes within the party, as many office-bearers are now refusing to work for the party, while some are demanding Pilot to take charge. In the meantime, Pilot has been vying for the Chief Minister’s post in the coming elections to replace the current Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who enjoys the confidence of Sonia Gandhi.
According to a source, the Congress high command is wary of a Punjab-like situation emerging in the state, and will soon take a decision on the leadership after the Rajya Sabha polls.
Sources also said that over some recent weeks, relationships among party leaders have also been on the decline, and party leaders have been covertly as well as overtly targeting their own government.
Congress MLA Rajendra Singh Bidhuri from Begun in Chittorgarh recently said, “Ashok Gehlot is scared that his minister will go to jail, due to which he is not conducting a CBI inquiry into the REET scandal.”
Targetting Surendra Singh Jadawat indirectly, who was appointed as the Chairman of the Rajasthan Heritage Conservation and Promotion Authority (RHCPA), the MLA said, “The CM gave him the status of Minister of State, who lost twice by 50,000 votes. If we win as MLAs, then only will you become the chief minister.”
Some of the office bearers The Sunday Guardian talked to said that they have stopped working for the Congress as “there is nobody who can hear our concerns”. “If they sack us, let them do it,” said an office-bearer.
Jaswant Gurjar, RPCC secretary, told The Sunday Guardian, “While forming ground reports, we meet workers, and workers are fully satisfied, we have camps in 12 Zillas, and in every camp, people have been coming as we can see mobilisation among all people. Our efforts are such that we could win the upcoming Assembly election in 2023.”
He further added, “There is a little anti-incumbency, we may get lesser votes, but we will win the majority seats. We can only say that Sachin Pilot, Govind Singh Dotasra, and Ashok Gehlot will contest the elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, and win the majority. In politics every person has his own bent for different leaders, according to which he works, plus, Pilot is the member of the central planning group for the coordination of the ‘Bharat jodo yatra’, we are working at our best.”
A political analyst working on the ground in Rajasthan said, “If Sachin Pilot is made the CM face, even in that case only 10 to 15 seats will increase for the Congress, the number won’t go beyond that, because now it is too late for Sachin Pilot to come and take the charge, plus the voting pattern in Rajasthan has also changed, they now vote for the candidates rather than political parties. There are at least 87 MLAs currently who are first-timers, and most of them will not repeat. Party-wise, BJP has around 20 and Congress has around 60 first-time MLAs; there is anti-incumbency against most of the MLAs.”