Sachin Pilot to meet Sonia Gandhi later Thursday
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot will meet party chief Sonia Gadhi later Thursday, sources said.
His b te noire and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who arrived here Wednesday night, met Gandhi around 1 pm.
The meetings come days after an open rebellion by Gehlot loyalists over a possible leadership change in the state, clouding Gehlot's chances of running for the presidency.
The party's disciplinary committee has asked three Gehlot loyalists -- Rajasthan ministers Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi, and Dharmendra Rathore -- to explain within 10 days why action should not be initiated against them. This was after observers for Rajasthan, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken, charged them with "gross indiscipline" in a report to party chief Sonia Gandhi.
Eighty-two MLAs participated in a parallel meeting at Dhariwal's residence in Jaipur, laying down conditions for the party. They did not attend the official legislature party meeting convened for passing a resolution authorising the Congress chief to appoint a successor to Gehlot, who was to contest the Congress presidential election.
With the Rajasthan episode posing a significant challenge before the party, the Congress president has been holding discussions with senior party leaders from across the country to resolve the crisis.
