The Congress on Tuesday sacked Sachin Pilot from the posts of Rajasthan's deputy chief minister and the party's state unit chief, appointing Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra in his place. Cracking the whip on the rebel party leader, the party also removed his loyalists Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena from the state cabinet.
AICC spokesperson Randeep Surjewala announced the decision after a Congress Legislature Party meeting held here amid a tussle for power between Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Why Congress is facing a crisis
The ruling party in Rajasthan is facing a crisis after the rebellion by Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and dissident MLAs. Pilot has been upset about the fact he was denied the Rajasthan chief minister's post after the December 2018 assembly elections.
Pilot and his supporters claimed to have the backing of 30 Congress MLAs and some independents. The Ashok Gehlot camp has claimed that 109 MLAs, both Congress and others, are in support of the government. In the 200-member assembly, the Congress has 107 MLAs and the BJP, 72. And today 102 MLAs present at the CLP meeting at Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur have unanimously demanded Sachin Pilot's removal from the party.
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