Emerging out of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s 10 Janpath residence after an hour-long meeting, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday owned moral responsibility for the political crisis in his State, announced his withdrawal from the Congress presidential race and asserted that Ms. Gandhi will decide his continuance as Chief Minister.
Party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, who had two rounds of meetings with the party chief, said Ms. Gandhi would take that decision in “a day or two”, but did not indicate if that could see Mr. Gehlot stepping down.
With Mr. Gehlot’s rival Sachin Pilot calling on Ms. Gandhi on Thursday evening, speculation was rife of a possible change of guard in Rajasthan. Sidestepping the question of leadership, Mr. Pilot told presspersons that he was confident that all “positive steps to work collectively and win the Rajasthan Assembly polls in 2023 will be taken”.
