The open rebellion by Rajasthan lawmakers loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has derailed the plan of the Gandhi family to field Mr. Gehlot as a candidate in the Congress presidential elections and appoint Sachin Pilot as his successor for the Chief Minister’s post.
On September 26, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who is learnt to be annoyed by the developments, asked for a written report after Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken briefed her on the Sunday rebellion at her residence.
Both were sent as observers to Jaipur to attend a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) to decide on Mr. Gehlot’s successor. Party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, who was in Kerala with the Bharat Jodo Yatra, was summoned to the meeting. Asserting that the timing and venue of the CLP meeting were decided by Mr. Gehlot, Mr. Maken, briefing presspersons after an hour-long meeting with Ms. Gandhi, said “the parallel meeting convened by the MLAs of the Gehlot camp was an act of indiscipline”.
