The Congress party on Thursday constituted its State Election Committee ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly elections due this year. The 29-member poll panel includes Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and former Union minister Jitendra Singh with Govind Singh Dotasra appointed as the Chairman. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal for the constitution of the Pradesh Election Committee for the ensuing assembly elections in Rajasthan this year, a party statement said.
Party leaders Raghuveer Meena, Raghu Sharma, Harish Choudhary, Pratap Singh Kachariyawas, Rameshwar Dudi, Mohan Prakash and Lalchand Kataria have also been included as members in the committee.
The development comes days after a poll strategy meeting that took place in the national capital on July 6, attended by Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi AICC in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Randhawa, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Dotasra, Pilot and several MLAs and ministers from the state.
Gehlot, who was recovering from injuries to his toes, had attended the meeting via video conferencing.
After the meeting, the party asserted that it can with the Rajasthan polls provided there is unity and warned of strict action against those not maintaining discipline and speaking outside the party forum, stated a PTI report.
The party had also indicated that it may not declare a chief ministerial face for the polls due later this year.
Earlier this month in an interview with the news agency, Pilot had made it clear that he had buried the hatchet with Gehlot on the advice of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, saying collective leadership was the "only way" forward going into the assembly polls.
The party leadership has brokered a deal between the chief minister and his former deputy, who have decided to work together to ensure that the Congress returns to power.