Ashok Gehlot or Sachin Pilot: Who will be Rajasthan chief minister?

Rajasthan elections: Both Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot have said the Congress leadership should take the final decision.

Sachin Pilot (L) and Ashok Gehlot.

JAIPUR: Who will be Rajasthan's new Congress Chief Minister? The question remained unanswered in the first round of meeting of newly elected MLAs as it failed to decide on a leader. Later in another meeting of the Congress Legislature Party, the decision was left for the high command to take. Earlier in the day, both former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and state Congress President Sachin Pilot reached the Congress office to attend the meeting of MLAs which was to choose the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. Both Pilot and Gehlot are leading contenders for the top post amid slogan shouting by supporters. Congress sources said both Gehlot and Pilot supporters were in equal numbers and hence a consensus had been built so that the Congress High Command -- an euphemism for party President Rahul Gandhi -- can take a call on the CM's post. Meanwhile, Congress observer K.C. Venugopal was taking feedback from each MLA and his report shall soon be sent to Rahul Gandhi. Once Gandhi decides on a name, the next meeting will be called to announce the name of the Rajasthan Chief Minister, said a Congress source. Both Gehlot and Pilot have said the Congress leadership should take the final decision. Heavy police deployment has been made at the venue to avoid any untoward incident. Supporters choked roads to the Rajasthan Congress headquarters on Wednesday as the party celebrated its victory in the assembly polls and held discussions there to pick the state's next chief minister. Similar crowds of party workers and supporters were witnessed a decade ago when the Congress got the mandate to form the government in 2008. Ashok Gehlot was picked as the chief minister then by the party. This time also he is a frontrunner for the post along with the Pradesh Congress Committee head Sachin Pilot. The Congress Legislature Party met in the morning and passed a single-line resolution leaving the final decision to party president Rahul Gandhi. Meetings between office bearers from the All India Congress Committee and individual MLAs continued inside even after this. Amid these consultations at the Sansar Chandra Road office, some Sachin Pilot supporters shouted slogans outside. After Gandhi takes a call on the next Congress Legislature Party leader - who will then go on to become the chief minister - a second CLP meeting is expected to take place. Then a delegation will meet Governor Kalyan Singh to stake claim to form the government. MLAs loyal to both Pilot and Gehlot have been in touch with the two main contenders since the results came in Tuesday. Some rebel MLAs who contested as independents after being denied the party ticket were in touch with Ashok Gehlot, party leaders said. The Congress won 99 seats and its alliance partner Rashtriya Lok Dal got one out of the 199 seats for which elections were held on December 7. The House has 200 seats but elections were put off on one seat because of the death of a candidate. The party is also looking for support from independents MLAs and non-BJP parties. In 2008, Ashok Gehlot was nominated as the Congress Legislature Party leader after intense consultations. Last time, there was a pressure from the Jat lobby for a chief minister from the community, but Gehlot who comes from the Mali community was finally picked.