I did not oppose a single candidate name, says Congress leader Sachin Pilot

Former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot showed support to all winning contenders including Mahesh Joshi, Shanti Dhariwal, and Dharmendra Rathore, who were charged with indiscipline last year

Congress leader Sachin Pilot welcomed all winning contenders for the state Assembly polls, including leaders accused of indiscipline in September last year. According to a report by the Times of India, Pilot referred to ministers Mahesh Joshi, Shanti Dhariwal, and Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) chairman Dharmendra Rathore, who were charged with indiscipline after orchestrating a parallel Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting. 

Pilot emphasised that he did not oppose any candidate, even those who had insulted Sonia Gandhi in the past, demonstrating his love and support for the party. Pilot made these remarks while overseeing preparations for Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi's meeting in Kandoli.

According to a report by the Hindustan Times last year, the crisis in Rajasthan unfolded when Congress leaders Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge arrived in Jaipur to hold a CLP meeting, intending to formalise the transfer of power from Ashok Gehlot to Sachin Pilot. However, 92 lawmakers, seemingly loyal to Gehlot, gathered at Shanti Dhariwal's residence, expressing their desire for Gehlot to continue as CM or to have a say in selecting his successor. Despite the presence of Congress leaders and Pilot at the chief minister's residence, the CLP meeting was disrupted as the lawmakers submitted joint resignation letters to the speaker CP Joshi

This unexpected defiance, driven by Opposition to Pilot due to his 2020 rebellion against Gehlot, was viewed as a challenge to the party leadership. The lawmakers had set conditions, including postponing the chief minister's selection until after the Congress presidential poll and choosing a CM from those who supported the government during the 2020 crisis. The party deemed these conditions unacceptable.

Shanti Dhariwal, the parliamentary affairs minister, was issued a show cause notice for organising the meeting despite his position, and similar notices were issued to Joshi, the chief whip, and Dharmendra Rathore for their roles in the meeting logistics. The MLAs also took back their resignations, a step that Speaker Joshi accepted.

The Congress party has not released any candidate list for Rajasthan till now. There was speculation that the delay may have been caused as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot advocated for his loyalists: Shanti Dhariwal, Mahesh Joshi, and Dharmendra Rathore, while senior leaders were opposed to this.

However, the party and CM Gehlot continue to reaffirm Congress' united front and unanimous agreement on candidate names.

The Rajasthan state Assembly election will be held on November 25 and the votes will be counted on December 3.