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The Rajasthan political crisis is yet to be solved as it is still not clear if chief minister Ashok Gehlot will after all run for the party chief post in the upcoming elections slated to be held on 17 October. The political crisis started when the grand old party was tasked to select a successor to Gehlot in case he gets elected as the party president.
Amid the deepening crisis, Gehlot is reportedly going to meet Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Wednesday. "The Chief Minister is going to Delhi at 5-5.30 pm today to express the feelings of 102 MLAs, as their guardian, with the party leadership and organisation," cabinet minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas told reporters after a meeting with the CM.
Gehlot is expected to board a special flight for the national capital.
Gehlot's visit comes a day after the Congress issued show cause notices to three of his loyalists – Rajasthan ministers Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi, and Dharmendra Rathore – for their “grave indiscipline".
The party's disciplinary committee has asked the three to explain within 10 days why action should not be initiated against them after the observers for Rajasthan – Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken – in their report to party chief Sonia Gandhi charged them with “gross indiscipline".
The action came after 82 MLAs participated in a parallel meeting at Dhariwal's residence in Jaipur laying down conditions to the party and did not attend the official legislature party meeting convened for passing a resolution authorising the Congress chief to appoint a successor to Gehlot, who was to contest the Congress presidential election.
Meanwhile several MPs met the Rajasthan CM before the latter leaves for Delhi. Reportedly, told the Congress lawmakers that everything was fine and that they should have faith in Gandhi. Cabinet minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas aid that it was a routine meeting, and Gehlot's meeting with the Speaker was no different.
He said that whether CM will file nomination for party president or not, this is a decision of the high command.
"Chief Minister is not resigning as of today," he added.