Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Sept 29: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced on Thursday that he will not contest the Congress presidential polls.
After meeting party president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi today, he expressed regret to Gandhi for the events of Sunday, when MLAs who were behind him disobeyed the top leadership and boycotted the Congress Legislative Party (CLP).
“I met Rahul Gandhi in Kochi and requested him to fight in the polls (for Congress President). When he didn’t accept, I said I will contest but now with that incident (Rajasthan crisis) I have decided not to contest the elections,” said Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot.
On being asked if he will remain Rajasthan CM, Gehlot said, “I won’t decide that, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will decide that.”
Delhi | One-line resolution is our tradition. Unfortunately, a situation arose that resolution wasn't passed. It was my moral responsibility, but despite being a CM I couldn't get the resolution passed: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot after meeting Sonia Gandhi https://t.co/anpX3MQXsG pic.twitter.com/r6dZhfud2I
— ANI (@ANI) September 29, 2022
After a political drama broke out in Rajasthan on Sunday night and 82 MLAs submitted their resignations to the assembly speaker, CP Joshi, Gehlot travelled to Delhi to meet Sonia Gandhi. If Gehlot gets the Congress presidential nomination, the MLAs will not support the choice of Sachin Pilot as the new chief minister.
The Congress leadership and Gehlot supporters got into a confrontation as a result, and the party high command requested a report from its party observers, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken.
Following the events of Sunday, there were rumours that Gehlot was upset with the Congress’ top leadership, who wanted him to withdraw from the contest.
The observers, however, stated that Gehlot is not to blame for the state’s crisis in their report to Sonia Gandhi.
