New Delhi/Jaipur: With a political crisis threatening the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan, as many as 96 Congress MLAs arrived at the Chief Minister’s residence for a legislative party meeting in Jaipur on Monday.
The party had issued a whip to all its MLAs, mandating everyone’s presence in the meeting.
Late on Sunday night, Congress general secretary and Rajasthan-in-charge Avinash Pande dismissed Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot’s claims that the government was reduced to a minority, saying that 109 MLAs have signed letters to show their allegiance to the present government.
” More Congress MLAs are in touch with the CM and they are also expected to sign letters soon,” Mr Pande asserted.
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He, further said, ” There is no danger to the government. All our MLAs are with us.”
In a late night statement released on WhatsApp, Mr Pilot said that he has the backing of about 30 legislators in the 200-member House.
While the Congress has 107 MLAs in the Rajasthan Assembly, the BJP’s strength is 72.
The move to test the political waters of Congress in the state comes just four months after the party let Madhya Pradesh slip from its grasp. This has once again underlined the leadership vacuum in the party and how its sense of drift is deepening faultlines within: old versus young, second-generation leaders versus those who rose through the ranks.
Meanwhile, the BJP is watching closely to see if it can find an opportunity to put up an alternate arrangement in Jaipur. But the party is not yet ready to take any step, a source said. “We are just watching the situation. The game still does not appear to be set for the BJP,” a senior party leader said.
(Agencies)