In the midst of the political turmoil brewing in Rajasthan, state CM Ashok Gehlot said that he won't contest the Congress party's presidential elections after his meeting with interim party chief, Sonia Gandhi, on Thursday, 29 September.
Gehlot also said that he apologised to Gandhi for the MLAs' rebellion within the party, saying that the events left him shaken.
"Whatever's next, the high command will decide," he told reporters, according to NDTV.
This meeting comes days after the party served show-cause notices to three Gehlot loyalists – Rajasthan ministers Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi, and Dharmendra Rathore – for their "grave indiscipline" of organising a parallel meeting with the MLAs and not attending the Congress Legislative Party meeting and had recommended action against Gehlot.
82 Rajasthan MLAs had held a parallel meeting at Dhariwal's residence in Jaipur, laying down conditions to the party. The MLAs did not attend the official legislative party meeting convened for passing a resolution authorising the Congress chief to appoint a successor to Gehlot, who was to contest the Congress presidential election.
The Backdrop
Over 90 MLAs had tendered their resignation to Rajasthan Assembly Speaker, CP Joshi, late night on 25 September, Sunday, to protest against the likely decision to make Sachin Pilot the state's chief minister, if Ashok Gehlot were to resign from the post to fight the Congress presidential elections.
Sachin Pilot was said to have told the Congress high command that Ashok Gehlot should not remain the CM of Rajasthan if he decides to contest the party presidential election, and that it is his responsibility to discipline MLAs, ANI had reported.
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