Gehlot, Pilot And High Command: 5 Reasons Why Congress' First List Of Candidates For Rajasthan Elections Is Delayed

The Congress party couldn't release its much-awaited first list of candidates for Rajasthan assembly elections on the anticipated date of 18 October (Wednesday), when the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting took place.

Now the the initial list is anticipated to be released on 20 October, following Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's scheduled event in Rajasthan's Dausa district. State in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa hinted in this regard.

When questioned about the delay, Randhawa told the media, "The list will come in one or two days and it will be double the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) list."

Notably, BJP's first Rajasthan list was released on 9 October and had 41 names. Randhawa's claim of double list matches media reports which claim that there will be around 105 names in the Congress' first list.

But let's understand what are the reasons for the delay-

1. Disagreements

The reported delay stems from significant disagreements within the party regarding the decision to bench certain MLAs, including ministers. Indian Express sources indicate that Gehlot is advocating for the re-nomination of all his ministers.

Additionally, he is pushing for the inclusion of former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs who joined the Congress in 2019, along with Independents—many of whom were former Congress members—showing support for his government during challenging times.

Insiders within the Congress assert that the leadership is inclined to withhold tickets from individuals it believes have limited chances of retaining their seats in the upcoming elections. This evaluation is purportedly based on internal surveys conducted by the team led by poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu.

However, Gehlot is reportedly not entirely in agreement with the list of potential candidates identified by Kanugolu's team. In fact, during one of the meetings, Gehlot is said to have remarked that he possesses a better understanding of Rajasthan than the strategists.

2. Confusion over ministers

Reports suggest that the future of several ministers, including Shanti Kumar Dhariwal, Mahesh Joshi, Govind Ram Meghwal, and Shakuntla Rawat, remains uncertain. Dhariwal and Joshi were part of the trio of Congress leaders who faced show-cause notices from the high command last year.

This action followed a situation where a faction of MLAs loyal to Gehlot boycotted a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, creating a crisis. This incident occurred during discussions about Gehlot potentially moving to Delhi to assume the role of the national president of the party, with Sachin Pilot taking charge in the state.

3. CEC dissatisfied

The CEC convened to deliberate on candidates for approximately 100 seats. However, it is reported that the panel only approved about half of those seats. The high command, particularly Rahul Gandhi, is reportedly dissatisfied with the screening committee for presenting single names for the remaining constituencies.

Sources indicate that central leaders instructed the screening committee to return with at least three potential candidates for each seat. The perception was that the screening committee, responsible for shortlisting candidates, faced resistance from Gehlot and his faction, preventing the presentation of multiple names.

Following the meeting, some central leaders questioned whether the CEC's role was merely to "rubber stamp" the names provided, without considering feedback received from various sources, including surveys. According to sources, Gehlot opposed the idea of denying tickets to MLAs and ministers based on corruption allegations.

4. Pilot's absence

Rajasthan's former deputy CM Sachin Pilot was not present in the meeting because he had to write his exams for promotion in the Territorial Army.

And while there are known rifts between Gehlot and Pilot, CEC did not want to risk declaring the final names of candidates in his absence as this could pose a problem later.

Gehlot faction insists that MLAs who opposed his government should not be reconsidered for nomination. On the other hand, the camp aligned with Pilot contends that the same principle should extend to legislators who disregarded the high command's directive to convene the CLP meeting.

5. Preventing rebellion

Observing the potential rebellious attitude of Congress legislators who may be denied tickets, the party is carefully proceeding with consideration. Rahul Gandhi desires unity within the party; hence, special attention is not being given to leaders associated with any faction.

Although the party had decided a week ago to release the first list of tickets after the CEC meeting, consensus on a single name for nearly 100 seats, sent by the screening committee has not been achieved. The CEC has expressed objections to around a dozen seats.