Congress government in Rajasthan in trouble

The Congress government in Rajasthan is on the verge of falling. This development comes just three months after the party lost Madhya Pradesh.

Rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot has been sacked as deputy chief minister and removed as state party chief after he skipped a second meeting of MLAs today despite the senior leadership reaching out to him several times. Two ministers who have joined him in his revolt were also dropped. The Congress says that Pilot was trapped by the BJP to bring down the Ashok Gehlot government.

Pilot is set to be the next high-profile exit from the Congress after Jyotiraditya Scindia. In a tweet he said “The truth can be harassed but not defeated.”

Meanwhile Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot met Governor Kalraj Mishra as his numbers fell dramatically. The Congress now has 100 MLAs, the half-way mark in the 200-member assembly, after three MLAs left Gehlot’s camp this morning. Before Pilot’s revolt, the Congress had 107 MLAs and the support of 13 independents and five from smaller parties. That number has now come down to 90 Congress MLAs, seven independent members and three from smaller parties – 100.

The BJP meanwhile has now decided that given the latest developments, it can legitimately seek a trust vote.The party said Mr Gehlot must face a floor test and despatched a leader, Om Mathur, to Jaipur.