The Rajasthan Congress Legislature Party (CLP), which met here on December 5 for the first time after the party’s defeat in the Rajasthan Assembly election, passed a resolution authorising the party high command to appoint the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the State Assembly. The CLP meeting was held at the Pradesh Congress Committee’s (PCC) headquarters in the presence of three All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers.
Outgoing Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot moved the resolution, which was seconded by Pradesh Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra. Mr. Gehlot said the LoP should be nominated by the Congress president, to which all the newly elected MLAs agreed and raised their hands in support.
The AICC observers, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Mukul Wasnik, and Madhusudan Mistry, later had one-on-one meetings with the legislators. AICC Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was also present.
According to sources in the Congress, the participants in the meeting deliberated on the reasons for the party’s defeat and discussed strategies for the future. A demand was also raised to fix responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the Assembly election, in which it could win only 69 seats.
Mr. Gehlot later told presspersons outside the PCC headquarters that all the MLAs would accept the high command’s decision on the appointment of the CLP leader. He said the Congress’ vote share had not reduced despite its defeat, which was a “good sign” for the future as well as an evidence that there was no anti-incumbency for the State government.
Mr. Gehlot said while the Congress wanted to fight the election on the issue of development, the senior BJP leaders who visited the State for the election campaign had lied and misled the people. “They did not touch the issues of development and government’s performance. They succeeded in creating polarisation, which provoked the people’s sentiments and gave them electoral dividends,” Mr. Gehlot said.
