Rajasthan Political Crisis: Sachin Pilot claims to have support of 18 MLAs.
The Rajasthan High Court will deliver its verdict on the petition filed by 19 dissident Congress MLAs, including Sachin Pilot, against the Speaker's notice for initiating disqualification proceedings against them, at 10:30 AM today.
The rebels have argued in court that such notices cannot be served by a Speaker when the assembly is not in session. They have challenged a rule that allows the Speaker to disqualify members if they have "voluntarily given up the party's membership". They say they do not intend to quit the Congress; they only want a change in the leadership.
The Speaker had attempted to get the High Court verdict blocked in the Supreme Court, but the top court refused to intervene, saying it would take up the case again on Monday. But the High Court ruling will be subject to the final order of the Supreme Court.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that the assembly session would be called "soon" and expressed confidence that he has a majority. "We will call the assembly session soon. We have a majority. All Congress MLAs are united," the Chief Minister told reporters shortly before he met Governor Kalraj Mishra. The 20-minute meeting was their third since the Congress rebel crisis erupted nearly two weeks ago.
