After a meeting with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, the Congress party announced on Monday that the two prominent leaders will be joining forces to combat the BJP in the upcoming elections, news agency ANI reported.
Speaking with media, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal stated: “We have decided to fight the elections unitedly. Definitely, we will win the elections in Rajasthan. Both Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot have unanimously agreed with the proposal."
After conducting a lengthy discussion that lasted for four hours, which included the presence of influential party members such as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, and other senior officials, this decision was made.
The Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) has been facing turmoil since July last year when Pilot revolted to demand a leadership change for the state.
He was subsequently ousted from his positions as Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president by the party. However, there has been underlying tension brewing since that time. In April, the situation escalated when Pilot staged a hunger strike in Jaipur for an entire day to urge action against corruption cases involving the former BJP-led government under Vasundhara Raje.
At the outset, the Congress Party responded with great vigor, as evidenced by the statement from Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the Rajasthan in-charge of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), which characterized the fast as harmful to the party's welfare and a subversive act. However, as time passed, the Congress Party's position became less stringent. The pilot's quick action was perceived as a attempt to outmaneuver Gehlot. A few days later, discussions were held by the central leadership with the ex-Deputy Chief Minister.