Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot has edge in contest with Sachin Pilot

Jaipur: After discussions that lasted hours, the Congress Wednesday failed to bring about a consensus in its ranks in Rajasthan on who should be the chief minister even as it staked its claim to form the government.

The decision on the chief minister will be taken Thursday by party president Rahul Gandhi, All India Congress Committee general secretary Avinash Pande told reporters after a party delegation met governor Kalyan Singh to seek an invitation to form the government.

Mr Pande said Mr Gandhi will be briefed about the deliberations by the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Jaipur over the chief minister’s post.

Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, both MLAs, are the front runners for the post and were part of the delegation that met Kalyan Singh.

Earlier in the day, the CLP held a scheduled meeting at the party office, where it passed a one-line resolution in which the newly elected MLAs authorised Mr Gandhi to decide on the chief minister’s post.

After the resolution was passed, K C Venugopal, the AICC observer sent by the party to Jaipur, held discussions with individual MLAs, seeking their opinion.

The exercise went on for several hours but there was no consensus and the CLP then left the decision on Mr Gandhi.

“We will hand over our report to the party president tomorrow,” Mr Pande said.

Apart from AICC general secretaries Venugopal and Pande, the party had also sent four AICC secretaries to Jaipur.

They are all expected to meet Mr Gandhi in Delhi. Both Mr Pilot and Mr Gehlot would remain in Jaipur, party leaders said.

“A delegation of the party met the governor. We have the majority and will form the government,” Mr Pande said.

Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi, who lost election on Nokha seat, was also part of the delegation.

“The party observer held discussions with the MLAs and the name of the chief minister will be decided at the level of the party president Rahul Gandhi by tomorrow evening,” Mr Dudi told reporters outside Raj Bhawan.

Congress won 99 out of the 199 seats that went to the polls on December 7. Its alliance partner Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) also bagged a seat, taking the combined tally to 100 needed to form the government.

The party is also looking for support from independent candidates and non-BJP parties.

Mr Pande said several other MLAs have also extended support to the Congress in writing and the final list will be handed over to the governor later. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 73 seats.