Day later: Gehlot stalled, infighting starts

post, the party might have to suffer badly in the coming Lok Sabha election, according to party sources. Many other Jat leaders from the state including Parasram Maderna, Narayan Singh, Harendra Mirdha, and Col. Sonaram Choudhury have come together to foil Gehlot8217;s bid for chief ministership.

The heightened activity in the anti-Gehlot camp comes two days ahead of the Congress Legislature Party CLP meeting in Jaipur on Thursday, to be held in the presence of central observers including AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh, Sabarkantha MP Madhusudan Mistry and Haryana minister Virendra Singh.

Gehlot also faces resistance from other aspirants, including PCC chief CP Joshi, and former PCC chiefs BD Kalla and Narayan Singh. While all these contenders lost the election, Joshi is apparently undeterred by his loss by a single vote. He said in Jaipur that there was no convention in the Congress that the CM had to be an

MLA. Gehlot was an MP when he was nominated Chief Minister.

Gehlot8217;s detractors argue that the party had lost badly in Gehlot8217;s stronghold of Marwar region. For instance, the Congress could secure only 4 out of 10 seats in Jodhpur. On the other hand, in Mewar, from where Joshi hails, the Congress has done extremely well.

Party chief Sonia Gandhi is yet to make up her mind, sources said. Apart from the fact that Gehlot enjoys support of a large chunk of the CLP, what goes in his favour are his clean image and his performance as an administrator, said sources.

Gehlot8217;s loyalists argue that the party had run its campaign around the issues of lack of development and corruption charges against the outgoing BJP regime and, to make a contrast, focused on the achievements of the previous Gehlot regime on the development front. Sonia Gandhi too had praised the then Congress-led government8217;s performance, especially in drought relief works, they said.

In the past five years, the Congress leadership in the state, except Gehlot and Dausa MP Sachin Pilot, failed to take on the government through public agitation programmes, Gehlot loyalists said. Sonia is, however, learnt to be anxious about the sentiments of the Jat community. Sources said that while installing a Jat CM was highly unlikely, Gehlot8217;s fate would be decided at the CLP meeting on Thursday. As a compromise, a Jat leader could be made Deputy CM, they said.

The Congress is 5 short of the magic figure of 101 in the 200-member assembly. Many Independents are, however, keen to extend their support to the party, sources said.