Rajasthan CM, Dy to address media after late-night meet as resort politics makes comeback

Amid the ensuing political chaos in Rajasthan ahead of Rajya Sabha polls, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, deputy CM Sachin Pilot, Congress leaders Avinash Pandey, Randeep Surjewala, KC Venugopal will address the media at 12 PM.  This comes after the leaders held a late-night meeting amid fears of horse-trading ahead of the polls. The Congress on Wednesday had charged the BJP with attempts to destabilise the Rajasthan government and CM Gehlot had claimed that some of the party MLAs were offered Rs 25 crore each. Congress has taken all its MLAs to a Jaipur resort to prevent horse-trading ahead of Rajya Sabha polls on June 19.

READ | Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot fears defection as 23 Cong MLAs suspected to jump sides

Earlier on Thursday, speaking to the media, Deputy CM Pilot asserted that all the MLAs of the ruling coalition were united and would ensure a comfortable victory for the two Congress candidates in the upcoming the Rajya Sabha polls. He exuded confidence that the Congress party had more than the required numbers for the majority mark. 

He said: "As you all know, the Rajya Sabha elections will be held on June 19. All India Congress Committee headed by Sonia Gandhi approved two candidates for the polls. As Congress president, I want to say that our party, coalition partners and Independents are united. We have more numbers than what is required for the majority mark."

READ | Rajasthan Dy CM Sachin Pilot exudes confidence of Congress candidates' victory in RS polls

RS polls in Rajasthan

Currently, Congress has 107 MLAs in the Rajasthan Assembly having a strength of 200 members. The other members include 72 legislators from BJP, 13 Independents, three from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, two each from CPI(M) and Bhartiya Tribal Party and one from RLD. As each candidate requires 51 first preference votes to win, two Congress and one BJP candidates were expected to be elected unopposed. However, BJP fielding two candidates- Rajendra Gehlot and Onkar Singh Lakhawat set off alarm bells in the ruling Congress camp. 

On Wednesday, Congress MLAs were moved to a resort to reportedly prevent horse-trading attempts. Mahesh Joshi, Congress' Chief Whip of the Rajasthan Assembly wrote to the chief of the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau alleging a threat to the stability of the government. He claimed that the party's MLAs and Independents were being lured to destabilise a democratically elected government. Moreover, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot alleged that some of the Congress MLAs were offered Rs.25 crore each by BJP. As per sources, 23 of the Congress MLAs might defect to BJP.