Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said they will both contest the December 7 Rajasthan Assembly elections. The announcement comes amid speculation about a possible rift within the party over its chief ministerial candidate.
Gehlot, who was chief minister of Rajasthan twice, and Pilot, the state Congress president, are reportedly both in the running for the chief minister’s post. The party is hoping to win the state because of a possible anti-incumbency wave against the Vasundhara Raje-led Bharatiya Janata Party government.. The two leaders held a joint press conference to make the announcement. “Both, I and Sachin Pilot will fight the Rajasthan Assembly elections,” Gehlot told reporters.
“The reports of infighting in the Rajasthan Congress are baseless and spread by the BJP. We are unitedly fighting the assembly elections,” Hindustan Times quoted Gehlot as saying.
Pilot said, “On Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s instruction and on Gehlot ji’s request, I have decided to contest the Assembly elections.”
At the press conference, BJP’s Dausa MP Harish Meena quit the ruling party to join the Congress.
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