Political crisis emerges in Rajasthan over CM Ashok Gehlot's likely successor as loyalist MLAs submit resignations to Speaker

Rajasthan political crisis: In a late-night development on Sunday, a group of Congress MLAs - loyal to CM Ashok Gehlot – submitted their resignation letters to assembly speaker CP Joshi. A group of more than 90 MLAs is believed to have submitted their resignation letters, claimed Gehlot loyalists, but the number could not be verified independently.

TN National Desk

Updated Sep 26, 2022, 07:28 IST

Congress MLAs leave for the residence of Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi for a meeting in Jaipur.

Photo : PTI

Jaipur: A political crisis has unfolded in Rajasthan amid speculations that the state will see a leadership change following Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s announcement that he will contest the Congress presidential polls due next month.

In a late-night development on Sunday, a group of Congress MLAs - loyal to CM Gehlot – submitted their resignation letters to assembly speaker CP Joshi.

A group of more than 90 MLAs is believed to have submitted their resignation letters, claimed Gehlot loyalists, but the number could not be verified independently.

The Congress has 108 MLAs in the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly.

A four-member delegation of ministers Shanti Dhariwal, Mahesh Joshi and Pratap Singh Khachariyawas along with CM Gehlot’s advisor Sanyam Lodha met Congress observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken. In the meeting, they conveyed to the party obervers that the CLP meeting to decide on the next CM should happen after October 19, once the presidential elections are over.

They further stressed that if Gehlot gets chosen for the top party post, he should have a say in picking the new CM who should be someone who stood by the veteran leader during the rebellion by Pilot supporters in 2020.

Later, talking to news agency ANI, state Minister Mahesh Joshi said that they want the party to take care of people who have been loyal to Congress, referring to Pilot’s revolt about two years ago.

“Every MLA has faith in interim president Sonia Gandhi. We have kept our point and expect that our demands will be considered when the final decision is taken by the high command. We want the party to take care of people who have been loyal to Congress,” said Joshi.

The political crisis emerged ahead of Gehlot filing his nomination for the Congress president’s post.

Gehlot and senior party leader Shashi Tharoor have emerged as frontrunners in the race of presidential polls for the party, and if elected, Gehlot would have to leave the CM’s chair under ‘one-man, one-post rule of the party.

There is speculation that the former deputy chief minister Pilot will take his place in the state.

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