Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot camp MLAs threaten to quit to oppose Sachin Pilot; CM says 'not in my hands'

The contest for Congress' national president post turned into a full-blown crisis for the party in Rajasthan, with MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot clashing with the rival Sachin Pilot camp for supremacy.

With Gehlot deciding to contest the internal elections for the party chief post, negotiations over who would succeed him as CM have turned into a turf war.

More than 90 MLAs part of Gehlot's camp reportedly threatened to resign on 25 September 2022 in order to prevent Sachin Pilot from getting the CM's chair. The MLAs reportedly insisted that someone from their ranks be chosen for the top job.

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Subsequently, Gehlot reportedly told Congress leader KC Venugopal that MLAs were unhappy, and the matter was not in his hands. The development came on the day that a Congress legislature party meeting was called to decide the change of guard.

MLAs in Gehlot's camp cited Sachin Pilot's rebellion in 2020 along with 18 MLAs which had put the Congress government in the state at risk. The Congress leadership is believed to have backed Sachin Pilot to potentially succeed Gehlot.

If over 90 Congress MLAs resign, the Opposition BJP would be comfortably over the halfway mark, and could stake claim to form government, as per reports.