Rajasthan Cong MLAs leave it to Sonia to elect CLP leader

The 21 newly elected Congress legislators in the Rajasthan Assembly passed a unanimous resolution Wednesday authorising party president Sonia Gandhi to select the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).

Following a two-hour meeting chaired by party state in-charge Gurudas Kamat and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the 21 MLAs were unable to decide who would lead them as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly session slated to begin on January 21. Former CM Ashok Gehlot said he took moral responsibility for the loss in the Assembly polls. “I take full responsibility of the defeat in the Assembly elections and have decided not to take up any post but continue working for the party with full dedication. Whatever the party high command decides, I will regard it,” he said after the meeting.

A decision on the Leader of Opposition is likely by the end of the week with the Assembly session scheduled to begin on January 21. Senior leaders Pradyuman Singh and Narayan Singh are said to be in the fray for the post.

“All legislators have unanimously left the decision on the party high command,” Azad said. Kamat said, “We have to prepare for the coming 10 to 15 years and nurture young leaders accordingly. This is why Rahul Gandhi has now become an accepted choice as the leader virtually by the entire party.”