Congress says decision on Rajasthan CM in a day or two

New Delhi, September 29

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will decide on the Rajasthan chief minister’s post within a day or two, party general secretary KC Venugopal said on Thursday.

Venugopal made the statement outside Gandhi’s 10, Janpath residence here after a series of meetings to resolve the Rajasthan crisis.

He also said it will be clear by tomorrow, the last day of filing nominations for the top post, who all will contest.

The comments came soon after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced that he will not contest the Congress presidential polls as he took moral responsibility for the political crisis in his state, and said the decision on whether he would remain CM would be taken by the party chief.

After meeting the party president, Gehlot told reporters that he apologised to Gandhi for the developments on Sunday when MLAs supporting him defied the central observers and thwarted the move to hold a meeting of party legislators.

Instead, they held a parallel meeting to pitch for Gehlot’s continuation or the guarantee that his bete noire Sachin Pilot will not replace him.

Gehlot, a three-time state chief minister, described himself as a disciplined soldier of the party and expressed his sadness over the turn of events in the state.

Asked if he will continue as chief minister, Gehlot said Gandhi will decide on the issue.

Polling for the Congress president’s post will take place on October 17 while the result will be announced on October 19.