Jaipur: From a rival-turned-ally to long-term loyalists, a core group of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s supporters is believed to have orchestrated the so-called ‘revolt’ of 90 Congress MLAs in opposition to the get together’s excessive command.
The political drama started Sunday throughout a gathering that was supposedly meant to start the method of passing the baton of Rajasthan CM from Gehlot to Sachin Pilot because the former was anticipated to contest the get together’s presidential election subsequent month.
Because the excessive command’s emissaries, Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge, waited for 108 Rajasthan Congress MLAs, and people backing the get together, to point out up at Gehlot’s residence in Jaipur for a Congress Legislature Occasion (CLP) assembly, most have been absent. As a substitute, the MLAs went to a ‘parallel assembly’ with Gehlot’s confidant and cupboard minister Shanti Dhariwal. Shortly thereafter, 90 MLAs provided their resignations to meeting Speaker C.P. Joshi.
That very same night time, senior Congress leaders and Gehlot loyalists Dhariwal, Mahesh Joshi, and Pratap Singh Khachariyawas demanded that if the Congress handed a decision to anoint a successor to Gehlot, it ought to solely be accomplished after the get together’s presidential election. Secondly, in addition they wished the get together to announce that neither Sachin Pilot nor anybody from his band of supporters who tried to insurgent in opposition to Gehlot in 2020 ought to be made CM.
This was seen as a present of power by Gehlot — to show that his supporters within the get together far outnumbered Pilot’s. Whereas Gehlot has instructed the excessive command’s emissaries that he had no function within the MLAs skipping the Sunday assembly, nobody within the get together is shopping for it, a number of leaders in Delhi and Jaipur have instructed ThePrint.
They declare that Joshi, Dhariwal, and some different Gehlot loyalists have been enjoying a “pro-active” function in mobilising the assist of MLAs for the chief minister.
Listed here are six leaders who’re stated to be the principle string-pullers for Staff Gehlot.
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C.P. Joshi: Rival-turned-ally
C.P. Joshi’s equation with Gehlot has seen a 360-degree turnaround — from loyalist to foe after which again to changing into a staunch supporter.
A legislation graduate with a PhD in psychology, Joshi grew to become an MLA for the primary time in 1980 and developed an excellent relationship with Gehlot over time.
He was inducted as a cupboard minister within the first Gehlot-government fashioned in 1998, however issues began altering in 2003 when the BJP wrested energy from the Congress. Joshi was appointed as president of the state Congress and emerged as a challenger to Gehlot, largely by consolidating energy by advantage of his place within the get together, stated sources. That is believed to have led to a soured equation with Gehlot.
In 2008, Joshi, who was near Rahul Gandhi, was seen because the frontrunner for the chief minister’s chair. However he misplaced the meeting election by one vote and was not given the highest put up.
Joshi grew to become an MP in 2009 and a cupboard minister within the Manmohan Singh authorities, however withdrew from lively politics for a number of years after dropping the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
It was in 2018, when Joshi was elected as an MLA as soon as once more, that he entered a truce with Gehlot.
Joshi being appointed because the Speaker of the Rajasthan meeting was seen as an indication of Gehlot’s belief in him.
By then, Joshi had additionally carved out an area for himself within the state cricket administration — defeating former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi within the presidential race in 2009 and his son Ruchir Modi in 2017. In 2019, Joshi helped Gehlot’s son change into president of the Rajasthan Cricket Affiliation.
Throughout the 2020 political disaster, Joshi performed a task in saving Gehlot’s authorities by issuing disqualification notices to insurgent MLAs, which is believed to have introduced the 2 leaders nearer to one another.
Shanti Dhariwal: Drawback-solver
Typically described as considered one of Gehlot’s “most trusted” males, 79-year-old Shanti Dhariwal, a lawyer by coaching, holds quite a few portfolios within the Rajasthan cupboard, together with parliamentary affairs, legislation, and native self-government, city growth & housing.
A 3-time MLA and one-time Lok Sabha MP from Kota district, Dhariwal’s proximity with Gehlot has helped him stay within the high ranks of the get together hierarchy.
He’s believed to behave as Gehlot’s adviser, particularly in the case of points regarding native our bodies and civic businesses. Inside the state get together ranks he’s extensively credited with making certain that the Congress holds at the least one civic physique in Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Kota (the place the municipal companies have been bifurcated on 2020).
This, in line with a senior Congress functionary within the state, has left Gehlot “tremendously impressed”.
Dhariwal additionally performed an essential function in saving Gehlot’s authorities in 2020, reportedly speaking to the excessive command that loyalists slightly than rebels ought to be rewarded.
Pratap Singh Khachariyawas: ‘Crowd-puller’
Congress leaders describe two-time MLA Khachariyawas as a “extremely formidable” politician who has been loyal to many in numerous phases of his political profession — together with Sachin Pilot.
At present it’s Gehlot, in whose cupboard he was given the berths of transport and troopers’ welfare in 2018.
In Gehlot’s shut circles, he’s thought of a crowd-puller, and sometimes entrusted with making certain giant gatherings in occasions attended by the CM and people near him, stated a Congress supply.
The nephew of former vice-president of India Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Khachariyawas was a member of the BJP at one level and in 2002 grew to become the president of its youth wing.
Nonetheless, in 2004, he stop the BJP and joined the Congress. This, a celebration supply instructed ThePrint, was due to his “variations” with the BJP’s dedication in direction of reservation for the economically backward among the many greater castes.
In his public speeches, Khachariyawas has usually invoked the politics of caste and lineage. For example, he has stated at a number of occasions that his household line goes again to Lord Rama’s son Kush. In 2017, he had reportedly demanded a ban on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmavati (which was finally titled Padmavat), citing distortion of historical past. Khachariyawas himself is a Rajput — a dominant caste in Rajasthan.
Sanyam Lodha: A typical ‘enemy’
An unbiased MLA within the Rajasthan Meeting, 53-year-old Lodha is a political adviser to Gehlot with roots within the Congress.
In accordance with get together sources, Congress functionaries within the district and block ranges are appointed in session with Lodha, and he acts as Gehlot’s eyes and ears on this regard.
The three-time MLA from Sirohi constituency has one other high quality that may endear him to Gehlot — a typical adversary in Pilot.
Whereas Lodha was elected from Sirohi in 1998 and 2003 with a Congress ticket, it was Pilot who was stated to have refused him a celebration ticket in 2018, forcing the veteran chief to contest as an unbiased candidate.
Nonetheless, Lodha defeated each the Congress candidate and sitting BJP minister Otaram Dewasi — who headed the primary cow welfare ministry in Rajasthan — in that election.
His affect additionally makes him an essential asset for Gehlot, stated a senior Congress chief, including: “Lodha will not be one political chief. He has direct affect over at the least 10-12 unbiased MLAs who again the present Gehlot authorities. He’s the chief. And that’s the reason the CM retains him shut.”
Lodha has been probably the most vocal supporters of Gehlot and has even challenged the “one man, one put up” coverage of the Congress. He just lately stated the CM ought to be allowed to carry on to his put up even when he turns into the Congress president.
On Sunday, Lodha attended the assembly at Dhariwal’s residence and later instructed reporters that if anybody apart from Gehlot was appointed CM, unbiased candidates would withdraw their assist to the Congress.
Mahesh Joshi: ‘Private intelligence officer’
Mahesh Joshi is at present the chief whip of the Congress in Rajasthan. The 68-year-old has been a Lok Sabha MP and elected MLA twice, however what he’s finest identified for is his “organisation-building abilities”, Congress leaders stated.
Typically referred to as an “energetic chief” even by political opponents, he’s an previous Gehlot loyalist and screens many of the grassroot degree political actions within the state. He reviews on to the CM. Some throughout the Congress additionally confer with him jokingly as Gehlot’s “private intelligence officer” for issues throughout the get together.
He additionally enjoys a good measure of recognition in his constituency of Hawa Mahal in Jaipur.
“His supporters usually get over-excited in the case of wishing him on his birthday. One can see the whole space full of posters,” stated an area Congress chief who didn’t want to be recognized.
“In Jaipur, one can name him (Joshi) an area mass chief,” the functionary added.
Govind Singh Dotasra: The ‘strategist’
Fifty-eight-year-old Govind Singh Dotasra is a three-time MLA who has been serving as president of the Rajasthan Congress Committee since 2020, when Sachin Pilot was sacked from the put up.
Previous to being given this put up, he served in Gehlot’s cupboard as a junior minister and given cost of major and secondary training and tourism departments.
When he was an training minister, Gehlot gave him a free hand in revising faculty textbooks. One among his controversial strikes throughout this time was to direct that the prefix “Veer” be faraway from RSS ideologue V.D. Savarkar’s title in social science textbooks.
In accordance with get together sources, Gehlot values Dotasra not simply or his “loyalty” however for his abilities in coping with the state’s paperwork and media technique alike.
A frontrunner who has risen within the ranks from a gram pradhan (village head) to state get together president, he’s vocal about points pertaining to farmers and marginalised communities.
Dotasra, in line with a number of of his get together colleagues, can be thought of a distinguished chief of the Jat neighborhood.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
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