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News Desk:
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot is not joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), sources close to the Congress leader claimed on Monday. The claim came amid intense speculation on Pilot’s future after his rebellion yesterday.
The senior Congress leader had yesterday claimed that he had the support of more than 30 party and Independent MLAs, amid a widening rift with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Sources said the ruling dispensation’s claim of 107 MLAs attending the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meet earlier today was wrong. The Pilot camp has said that only around 80 MLAs attended the meet, during which a resolution was passed to take action against those leaders trying to weaken the party.
Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Congress has moved its MLAs, who attended the CLP meeting at CM Gehlot’s residence in Jaipur earlier today, to a resort near the capital. During the CLP meeting, a resolution was adopted to express support to the Gehlot government.
The resolution called for ‘strong disciplinary action’ against any leader or office-bearer who makes an attempt to weaken the government or the party in the state. The resolution, however, did not name Pilot who has opened another front in the party in the state. Apart from being Deputy CM, Pilot is also the head of the Congress’ Rajasthan unit.
It has been reported that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior leader Rahul Gandhi were in touch with Pilot. Pilot has been upset ever since he was overlooked for the Rajasthan chief minister’s post following the party’s victory in the December 2018 Assembly Elections.
