Pilot to helm Congress in Rajasthan, Arun Yadav in Madhya Pradesh

Marking a generational shift in politics of the two states, Union Minister Sachin Pilot and party MP Arun Yadav were today appointed as Congress chief in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where the party was routed in Assembly polls.  

The appointment, which was high on the agenda of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, came after the Congress’ rout in the recently-concluded Assembly elections in four states, including Rajasthan. The party hit a rock bottom in the state, securing only  21 of the 200 Assembly seats, its poorest show in an Assembly election. 

Pilot, 36, is a close associate of Gandhi and the son of late Union minister Rajesh Pilot and former MP Rama Pilot. He replaced Dr Chandrabhan, who was defeated in the Assembly elections.

Sources said besides Pilot, several others including AICC general secretary C P Joshi, Union minister Lalchand Kataria and party MP Mahesh Joshi were in the race. 

With Pilot’s appointment, an overhaul in the party’s state unit is expected. The new Congress Legislature Party leader for Rajasthan would be chosen in a meeting on Wednesday. 

Pilot, whose ancestral village is in Vaidpura in Noida, belongs to the Bidhuri clan of the Gujjar community.  

Congress sources said Pilot would take over as the PCC chief on January 21, when the first meeting of the Pradesh Election Committee would be held to decide on candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, Arun Yadav was made the Congress chief in Madhya Pradesh. Yadav (39), an OBC, is the son of senior party leader Subhash Yadav, who was at one time the deputy chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.