Both Sachin Pilot and Ashok
Gehlot will contest the December 7 Rajasthan election, it was revealed in a
joint press conference by the two Congress leaders amid reports of a widening
rift in the party.
"Both, I and Sachin Pilot
will fight the Rajasthan assembly elections," Ashok Gehlot, a former chief
minister, told reporters in Delhi, Sachin Pilot by his side.
Sachin Pilot added: "On
Congress president Rahul Gandhi's instruction and on Gehlotji's request,
I have decided to contest the assembly elections."
Who among the two would contest
the election has been the subject of much speculation in the run-up to the
polls. Both are seen as the main candidates for chief minister in the Congress,
which hopes to win back the BJP-ruled state riding on what it sees as
anti-incumbency.
A section in the party believed
that both leaders should stay out of the contest and focus on campaigning
across the state as they are seen as crowd-pullers.
Another section felt both should
contest - Ashok Gehlot from his seat Sardarpura and Sachin Pilot from a seat in
Ajmer - his old parliamentary constituency - or Dausa, from where his father
was an MP.
This morning, in a significant
boost for the Congress, the BJP parliamentarian from Dausa, Harish
Meena, quit his party and joined the Congress.
The Congress in Rajasthan is
believed to be deeply divided between factions loyal to Ashok Gehlot and Sachin
Pilot.
Results in Rajasthan will be
declared on December 11.
Source:https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rajasthan-elections-2018-congres-sachin-pilot-ashok-gehlot-will-both-contest-rajasthan-polls-deny-ri-1947152?pfrom=home-livetv
Source:https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rajasthan-elections-2018-congres-sachin-pilot-ashok-gehlot-will-both-contest-rajasthan-polls-deny-ri-1947152?pfrom=home-livetv
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