Setting aside rumours about rift in the Congress party, the two chief ministerial aspirants of Congress in Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot, announced on Wednesday they would both contest the December 7 Rajasthan Assembly elections. They however avoided answering questions as to who would be the CM face.
“I and Gehlot will both contest the Assembly polls and Congress will come to power in the state,” Pilot told the media at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
“On Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s instruction and on Gehlotji’s request, I have decided to contest the assembly elections,” he added.
He also said there was a lot of infighting within the Bharatiya Janata Party over ticket distribution and disgruntled leaders had been queuing up to join the Congress.
When Gehlot was asked a question regarding the CM face of Congress, he said: “Since Independence, it has been the tradition of Congress party not to name the CM face in states. We are proudly carrying forward that legacy.”
While Pilot, a former MP, will be contesting the assembly polls for the first time, Gehlot has twice been the chief minister of the state.