Top leaders of the Congress party will convene at the Delhi Headquarters on Thursday to discuss the party's strategy and preparedness for the upcoming assembly polls in Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram. Madhya Pradesh Polls are also likely to be discussed at the meeting. The meeting will also aim to resolve the ongoing conflict between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and party colleague Sachin Pilot, which has become a complex issue for the party, reported news agency PTI.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, AICC Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Randhawa, Sachin Pilot, and other senior leaders from Rajasthan will attend the meeting at the party headquarters in New Delhi at 11 am. Chief Minister Gehlot, who is currently undergoing treatment for a fractured toe, will participate in the meeting through video conferencing, reported PTI.
Kharge has been chairing important strategy meetings with leaders from states heading towards elections. He has already held separate meetings with leaders from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram.
All eyes are on Rajasthan as the Congress aims to break the trend of incumbent parties losing power. However, the Gehlot-Pilot conflict has complicated matters for the party in the run-up to the assembly polls, slated to be held later this year.
During an event commemorating the death anniversary of his father Rajesh Pilot last month, Sachin Pilot expressed that people's trust is his greatest asset. He vowed to continue fighting for justice on their behalf and not back down on his demands. Pilot has been criticizing the Ashok Gehlot-led government in Rajasthan, headed by Ashok Gehlot, for alleged inaction on corruption charges against the previous BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje.
The former deputy chief minister of the state has also called for the dissolution and reconstitution of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission, as well as definitive action and compensation for victims of leaked job examination papers.
Interestingly, two days before the strategy meeting, Gehlot announced that the Rajasthan government would introduce a bill in the next assembly session to increase the punishment for individuals involved in leaked recruitment exam papers from 10 years to life imprisonment. In an attempt to defuse tensions, Congress President Kharge and Rahul Gandhi held extensive discussions with Gehlot and Pilot separately in May. They later posed for photographs together at Kharge's residence.
After the meetings, Congress general secretary KK Venugopal stated that Gehlot and Pilot had agreed to "fight the upcoming assembly elections together". Venugopal said that the duo left all their issues to be resolved by the party high command. Gehlot and Pilot have been engaged in a power struggle since the Congress formed the government in Rajasthan in 2018. In 2020, Pilot led a rebellion against the Gehlot government, resulting in his removal from the positions of state unit president and deputy chief minister.
In 2002, an attempt by the party's high command to bring about a leadership change in Rajasthan failed as Gehlot loyalists resisted and prevented a legislature party meeting from taking place. Last month, despite warnings from the party, Pilot organized a day-long fast to target Gehlot over his alleged inaction on corruption during the previous Raje government.