Rajasthan polls: Rahul Gandhi to make crucial announcement today; Sachin Pilot in Delhi

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Rahul Gandhi. They are likely to discuss preparations for elections in the state. Later in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will hold a press conference at the party headquarters in Delhi later today.

Earlier an ANI report cited Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will also be present at the meeting. This indicates that the two feuding heavyweights of the ruling party may finally be burying the hatchet ahead of the crucial Assembly polls at the end of this year. The meeting of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), which is scheduled to be held virtually at 11 am on Thursday, will also feature PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasara, cabinet ministers, and the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Rajasthan, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.

The meeting will be held via Zoom. Two leaders locked in a bitter power struggle are about to have their first face-to-face meeting since their differences became public. Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot, both prominent figures within the Congress party in Rajasthan, have been engaged in a protracted and acrimonious battle for power.

While they have publicly criticised each other, the party's high command has been attempting to mediate a truce.  Recently, Pilot intensified his attacks on the Gehlot government, demanding a thorough investigation into alleged corruption under former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia. He even embarked on a 'Jan Sangharsh Yatra' to rally public support for his cause and increase pressure on the Gehlot administration to fulfill its promise to the people.  In May, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge summoned both Gehlot and Pilot for separate meetings in an effort to address the ongoing conflict. (With agency inputs)