India

Congress President’s Election: Has Ashok Gehlot Shot Himself In The Foot?

By
OB Bureau

New Delhi: Even before Congress declared the date for the party’s presidential election, Ashok Gehlot’s name was doing the rounds.

As long as a month ago, the buzz in political circles was that interim president Sonia Gandhi had offered the plum post to the incumbent Rajasthan chief minister.

The scenario has changed dramatically amid a raging political crisis and infighting in Rajasthan. So much so that members of Congress Working Committee (CWC) — the party’s top decision-making body — reportedly told Sonia on Monday to withdraw Gehlot from the next president’s race.

Trouble erupted late on Sunday night when around 90 MLAs of the Gehlot faction told national observers Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge they would resign if not allowed to pick a chief minister of their choice. Sachin Pilot, who had led a rebellion against Gehlot two years ago, or any of his loyalists was not acceptable to them, the MLAs declared.

Their stand angered CWC members, who complained to Sonia, reported ANI.

“He (Ashok Gehlot) is out of the Congress president’s race. There will be other leaders who will file nomination form before September 30. Mukul Wasnik, Mallikarjun Kharge, Digvijaya Singh, KC Venugopal are in the race,” India Today quoted a Congress leader as saying.

Shashi Tharoor was the first person to collect nomination form papers on Sunday.

“The way Gehlot behaved hasn’t gone down well with the party leadership. They are very upset with him,” another CWC member said.

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Biggest Win Down Under: India Decimate Australia By 295 Runs At Fortress Perth

Perth: The writing was on the wall after India had reduced Australia to 12/3 in…

November 25, 2024

Locals Stage Road Blockade After Truck Hits Auto-Rickshaw In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Agitated locals staged a road blockade after a mini-truck of Omfed hit an auto-rickshaw,…

November 25, 2024

3500 Kg Ganja Seized, 80 Arrested Under ‘Green Clean Mission’ In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Alarmed at growing ganja peddling in the state, the Odisha government has launched a…

November 25, 2024

Odisha Crime Branch Begins Probe Into Assault On MLA; Prohibitory Orders Imposed In Jajpur

Jajpur: The Crime Branch of Odisha Pollice on Monday launched its investigation into the alleged…

November 25, 2024

PM Narendra Modi To Be On 3-Day Visit To Odisha From Nov 29; Check Details

Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to embark upon a three-day visit to Odisha…

November 25, 2024

Well Marked Low Pressure Over Bay Of Bengal Becomes Depression; Will It Intensify Into Cyclone?

Bhubaneswar: The well-marked low pressure over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a depression,…

November 25, 2024

Haven’t Resigned From Maharashtra Congress Chief Post, Says Nana Patole Amid Reports Of Stepping Down In Media

Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Monday reportedly denied media reports claiming that he…

November 25, 2024

Plaint Against SP MP, Four Dead, Prohibitory Orders: Here’s All About The Sambhal Violence Over A Mughal-Era UP Mosque

Bareilly: A day after clashes erupted during the survey of a local mosque following a…

November 25, 2024