Ashok Gehlot confident of opposition's support in Assembly session; silent on trust vote

Ahead of the Assembly session commencing on August 14, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday exuded confidence in the opposition supporting the government in providing good governance. According to him, this would prove to be beneficial for the people of the state. He stated that the session would focus on the COVID-19 situation and post-lockdown financial conditions.

This indicates that the state government may not move a motion of confidence amid the reconciliation of Sachin Pilot and his group of MLAs with the Congress party. Earlier in the day, all the Congress MLAs supporting Gehlot returned to the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur from Jaisalmer. As per sources, BJP's Legislative Party meeting shall be held at 11 am on Thursday. 

Read: Rajasthan Govt Crisis LIVE Updates: Gehlot Camp Dissatisfied On Pilot's Return Say Sources

Congress achieves breakthrough

Sachin Pilot’s departure to Delhi with some of his supporting legislators on July 11 set off alarm bells in the Congress camp. The rift between CM Ashok Gehlot and him widened after the legislators belonging to his camp skipped two Legislative Party meetings. Despite Pilot's insistence that he will not join BJP, the Congress party sacked him as the Deputy CM and the PCC chief.

The efforts to ensure the stability of the Congress government bore fruit on Monday when Pilot met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the national capital. In an official statement, Congress revealed that the ex-Rajasthan Deputy CM expressed his grievances in detail and held a frank, open, and conclusive discussion. Furthermore, he committed to working in the interest of the Congress party. A three-member committee was constituted to address the issues raised by the Pilot camp MLAs and reach an appropriate resolution. 

Read: CM Gehlot Says Rajasthan MLAs Will 'forgive & Forget' Foul-tempered Tussle With Pilot Camp

Pilot rubbishes notion of revolt

Addressing a press conference in Jaipur on Tuesday, Pilot opined that airing views within the party cannot be perceived as a revolt. He noted that addressing genuine governance issues was critical to avoid Congress' 2013 election debacle where the party bagged only 21 seats in the 200-member Assembly. Maintaining that no one should have a problem with constructive suggestions, Pilot contended that Congress can win the next polls only on fulfilling the demands of the people.

Read: BJP Wants To Dislodge Uddhav Govt By September After Failing In Rajasthan: Shiv Sena