Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Sunday declared open rebellion and claimed that the Ashok Gehlot government in the state is in minority.
In the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, the Congress has 107 MLAs and the BJP 72. The Congress also has the support of 10 out of 13 independents, and other party MLAs like Rashtriya Lok Dal (1), which is its ally. The Congress also has support from two MLAs each from the CPI(M) and the Bharatiya Tribal Party.
Apart from its 72 MLAs, BJP's ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) has three MLAs.
Pilot on Sunday claimed that the Gehlot government is in minority as over 30 Congress MLAs have "pledged support" to him.
Earlier, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had accused the BJP of conspiring to topple his government by indulging in horse-trading, a charge denied by the opposition party which claimed it was the Congress's "infighting" at play.
Citing the examples of Goa, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, the chief minister said the BJP is trying to play similar games in Rajasthan too.
Congress leader Avinash Pande on Monday said 109 MLAs have signed a letter of support to the chief minister. The BJP is now in a "wait and watch" mode over the unfolding crisis in the Congress in Rajasthan and will wait for the outcome of the show of strength between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot before deciding on its next course of action.
Gehlot has called a meeting of Congress MLAs on Monday, which is likely to give a clear indication of how much support he and Pilot enjoy in the legislative group.
The latest inquiry launched by the Special Operations Group (SOG) that claimed to have busted a horse-trading plan, allegedly by BJP leaders, in a bid to de-stabilise the Rajasthan government.
(with inputs from agencies)
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