Rajasthan News Highlights: Congress issues show cause notices to two Rajasthan ministers, RTDC chairman

The rebellion of Ashok Gehlot supporters has queered the pitch for Congress presidential election with the Rajasthan Chief Minister appeared to have earned the displeasure of the High Command, as the party on Monday dangled the disciplinary sword after MLAs refused to attend Legislature Party meeting by holding a “parallel” deliberations and insisting on three “demands with strings” to be put on a resolution. Stay tuned for live updates

Congress issues show cause notices to two Rajasthan ministers, RTDC chairman

The Congress disciplinary committee on Tuesdayissued show cause notices to Rajasthan ministers Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi, and RTDC chairman Dharmendra Rathore.

Pawan Bansal collected nomination form, but might be for someone else: Cong CEA chairman

Amid suspense over whether Ashok Gehlot would run for Congress presidency, the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry Tuesday said AICC treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal has got nomination forms collected but they might be for someone else.

Mistry also said he had no information on whether Gehlot was going to file his nomination papers and no one had communicated with him over this. The remark comes amid speculation that the Rajasthan chief minister may be dropped as a candidate for the Congress president post.

Cong observers submit report to Sonia, urge action against indiscipline of MLAs

Congress observers on Tuesday submitted their report on the political crisis in Rajasthan to party chief Sonia Gandhi, pointing out 'gross indiscipline' by party MLAs who organised a parallel meeting a day earlier. The report also recommended disciplinary action against 3 party leaders including ministers and the chief whip, sources said.

Cong ministers hold special meeting at CM Gehlot's residence

BJP behind conspiracy to topple govt in Rajasthan: Congress minister

Amid an ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan, state minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas alleged on Tuesday that the BJP has again started hatching a conspiracy to topple the Congress government.

Kharge emerging as top choice for Congress president

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge is said to have emerged top choice for the party President's post but the game is still on and Congress sources on Tuesday said that leaders have been called for the nomination on Thursday.

Congress sources said that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is not yet ruled out from the race and Kumari Selja's name is also under consideration while Rahul Gandhi's choice is said to be K.C. Venugopal.

Congress treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal has taken a nomination form from the Central Election Authority, but sources said however it's not clear whether he will file a nomination or not. On his part, Bansal said he is only a proposer, not the candidate.

Not a single MLA against Sonia or Rahul: Cong minister

Gehlot loyalists' meet wasn't to pressurize high command: Cong chief whip

Amid an ongoing political turmoil in the Congress in Rajasthan, the party's chief whip in the state, Mahesh Joshi, on Tuesday said a meeting of the MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was not called to mount pressure on the party high-command.

Joshi said this while reacting to All India Congress Committee (AICC) observer Ajay Maken's "indiscipline" remark for holding the meeting.

He said the MLAs have expressed their view so that it reaches the high-command.

Cong leader Pawan Kumar Bansal denies rumours of him joining prez race

Pilot's schedule in Delhi not fixed; no meeting scheduled thus far

While Sachin Pilot reached Delhi on Tuesday amid a political crisis in Rajasthan, there was no confirmation about his schedule here with sources close to him saying that no meetings were fixed so far.

Pilot's visit comes even as the top Congress leadership continued to grapple with the situation in the party's state unit. Party president Sonia Gandhi is awaiting a written report on the crisis from Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken.

Cong leader Ambika Soni denies party prez aspirations

Sachin Pilot reaches Delhi

Congress CEA chairman submits list of delegates for prez poll to Sonia

Congress central election authority (CEA) chairman Madhusudan Mistry on Tuesday submitted a list of delegates, who can vote in the party president's election, to Sonia Gandhi.

Congress Treasurer Pawan Bansal has collected twosets of nomination papers for the party presidential election.

Sachin Pilot heads to Delhi as party presidential poll gathers pace

Congress presidency: Cosmetic makeover cannot bring change

An ill-suited medicine could be worse than the disease, and if the cause or prognosis is grossly inaccurate, it can harm more. It would seem the Congress party currently suffers from such a malaise.

It also seems that some have told Rahul Gandhi that the Congress is suffering for being a family show. So he decided to open the party presidency for the leaders outside of the family. The advisers must have agreed that now that it is being done, it should be done with fanfare.

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Pilot says he has neither spoken to the party's high command nor Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot on party presidential polls.

Sachin Pilot has denied reports of his conversation with high command on Gehlot

Gehlot's responsibility to bring MLAs together, Pilot tells high command on Jaipur rebellion

Madhusudhan Mistry meets Sonia Gandhi to discuss party presidential poll preparations

The escalating drama in Rajasthan has made the Congress leadership think about a plan B for the top party post, for which Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was being seen as a contender. Kamal Nath, who was one of the probables, has ruled out himself and now the party has limited options with Mukul Wasnik and Mallikarjun Kharge, but the time is running out as the election process has started and September 30 is the last day of nomination.

Selja, K C Venugopal front-runners for Congress president post after Gehlot snub

Congress sources on Tuesday said that Ashok Gehlot is being ruled out from the Congress' president post and it is likely that Kumari Selja could be considered for the top post while Rahul Gandhi's choice is said to be K CVenugopal.

However, no final decision has been made yet and Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath who met Sonia Gandhi on Monday said that he doesn't want to become the party president and wants to continue to work for the party in Madhya Pradesh.

"I want to remain in MP," Kamal Nath, a former Chief Minister of the state, told IANS.

Will Rajasthan go the Punjab way?

Whichever way the crisis in Rajasthan Congress, arising from the revolt of MLAs owing allegiance to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, is resolved, it will further weaken the party and diminish the credibility and authority of its leadership. It is ironical that it was precipitated by Gehlot, who was, by most assessments, expected to become the president of the party after elections next month.

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MLAs will not tolerate traitors being rewarded, says Gehlot loyalist Shanti Dhariwal

Ashok Gehlot unlikely to file nominations for Congress president polls, say sources

Congress sources said 82 MLAs loyal to Gehlot are likely to hold another meeting to decide their next course of action. They say they want someone who stood with the Congress government during the political crisis in Rajasthan in 2020 to be the next CM.

After Gehlot snub, a change in Congress's top picks?

Congress sources on Tuesday said that Ashok Gehlot is being ruled out from the Congress' president post and it is likely that Kumari Selja could be considered for the top post while Rahul Gandhi's choice is said to be K C Venugopal.

However, no final decision has been made yet and Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath who met Sonia Gandhi on Monday said that he doesn't want to become the party president and wants to continue to work for the party in Madhya Pradesh.

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They are expected to recommend disciplinary action against those behind the move, including minister Shanti Dhariwal and Rajasthan Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi.

Jaipur rebellion puts question mark on Gehlot running for Cong chief's post

The open rebellion by MLAs close to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has put a question mark on whether he would still run for the Congress president's post or someone else will replace him as a candidate supported by the current leadership.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi had on Monday sought a written report on the revolt in Rajasthan from party observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken as the chances of Ashok Gehlot becoming the party chief receded and other names cropped up for the post.

'Maken canvassing for Pilot': Gehlot camp alleges ploy

Rajasthan minister and key Gehlot-loyalist Shanti Dhariwal on Monday launched a frontal attack on Congress' state in-charge Ajay Maken, alleging that he was talking to party MLAs in a partisan manner and canvassing for Sachin Pilot.

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Ashok Gehlot is out of the Congress president race after Rajasthan MLAs' rebellion, reports NDTV quoting sources.

Rajasthan crisis: 'Unhappy' Sonia seeks written report

The rebellion of Ashok Gehlot supporters has queered the pitch for Congress presidential election with the Rajasthan Chief Minister appeared to have earned the displeasure of the High Command, as the party on Monday dangled the disciplinary sword after MLAs refused to attend Legislature Party meeting by holding a “parallel” deliberations and insisting on three “demands with strings” to be put on a resolution.

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BJP on wait and watch mode amid Congress crisis in state

Amid the crisis in the Congress camp in Rajasthan, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has adopted the wait and watch policy while underlining the doors of the party are open for former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.

Both the state's BJP unit president and Deputy Leader of Opposition submitted that the Speaker should have accepted the resignations being given by the party MLAs. - IANS.

If not Sachin Pilot, here are main contenders for Rajasthan CM's post

The political impasse in Rajasthan over possible leadership change continued on Monday with MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot remaining non-committal on holding a meeting with Congress top leaders.

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Ashok Gehlot vs Sachin Pilot: A history of power tussles in Rajasthan

Rajasthan is once again on the brink of a leadership crisis. The tussle between the topmost Congress leaders in the state has snowballed and is now threatening to burst at the seams.

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Will Rajasthan go the Punjab way?

Whichever way the crisis in Rajasthan Congress, arising from the revolt of MLAs owing allegiance to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, is resolved, it will further weaken the party and diminish the credibility and authority of its leadership.

Read more