Making one last effort to put up a united front ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly elections, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted a promotional video from his former Deputy Sachin Pilot referring to him as “Congress’s young leader”. The five years of the Congress government were marked by intense power struggle between the two, bookended by Mr. Pilot’s rebellion of 2020 and 2022 revolt by MLAs supporting Mr. Gehlot.
In July 2020, MLAs supporting Mr. Pilot refused to attend a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) called at the behest of Chief Minister Mr. Gehlot. In 2022, MLAs supporting Mr. Gehlot skipped the CLP meeting called on behalf of the high command at Delhi which was keen to place Mr. Pilot in the Chief Minister’s chair, before Mr. Gehlot’s investiture as party president.
Mr. Pilot’s video appealing for votes which was posted on the social media accounts of the Chief Minister comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks that Mr. Pilot’s father Rajesh Pilot was “punished” by the Congress leadership and is now meting the same treatment to him.
