Rajasthan: Ahead of bypolls, Congress to withdraw SLP against rebels

Seven months after the political crisis in Rajasthan, Congress Chief Whip in the Rajasthan Assembly, Mahesh Joshi, has moved to withdraw the Special Leave Petition in Supreme Court regarding disqualification of rebel party MLAs.

In a letter sent Monday to his advocate in Supreme Court, Varun Chopra, Joshi said that “in view of subsequent events, I do not wish to pursue the instant Special Leave Petition. You are hereby instructed to move an appropriate application to withdraw the aforesaid SLP.”

On Monday itself, Chopra wrote to the Registrar, Supreme Court of India, informing about the petitioner’s decision to withdraw the SLP.

The move comes ahead of bypolls to four Assembly seats, while the dates for the same are yet to be announced. With a fierce contest on the cards, the Congress hopes to give the factions in the state one less reason for friction, though there is no love lost between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot.

It has been a little over six months since a trust vote for the Gehlot government was held in the Assembly. While there is no rule that a second vote of confidence cannot be held within six months of a vote of confidence, it has generally been the trend.

On July 13 last year, Joshi had moved an application before Rajasthan Assembly Speaker C P Joshi, asking him to disqualify 19 Congress MLAs led by Sachin Pilot as they had violated the whip.

Mahesh Joshi did not respond to calls.