Congress top brass to deliberate with Rajasthan leaders Thursday; all eyes on Gehlot-Pilot tussle

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Congress will discuss the party's strategy and poll preparedness in Rajasthan on Thursday while also seeking to resolve the tussle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his bete noire Sachin Pilot that is proving to be a gordian knot for the party. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, AICC in-charge of state Sukhjinder Randhawa, Pilot and other senior leaders from Rajasthan will attend the meeting at the party headquarters here at 11 am.

Chief Minister Gehlot, who is recovering from fractures in both his toes, will attend the meeting via video conferencing, sources said. Kharge has been chairing key strategy meetings with leaders of poll-bound states.

He has already held separate meetings with leaders of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. All eyes are on Rajasthan as the Congress is looking to buck the revolving door trend of the incumbent party being voted out of power and the Gehlot-Pilot tussle making matters more complicated for the party for the upcoming assembly polls.

At an event marking the death anniversary of his father Rajesh Pilot last month, Sachin Pilot had said people's trust is the «biggest asset» for him and asserted that he will keep fighting to get them justice and not back down on his demands. Pilot had been attacking the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan over alleged inaction on charges of corruption levelled by him against the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP dispensation.

The state's former deputy chief minister has also demanded disbanding of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission and its reconstitution, as well as definitive action by the government as well as compensation for the victims of job exam paper leaks. Interestingly, two days