Party will unitedly fight Rajasthan elections: Congress General Secy KC Venugopal

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said on Thursday that the Congress party will unitedly fight the upcoming Assembly elections in Rajasthan.

During a press briefing at the AICC headquarters in Delhi, Venugopal said that all the leaders unanimously decided that Congress can win the Rajasthan elections provided there is unity, adding that the list of candidates will be announced in the first week of September. "29 leaders from Rajasthan Congress including the CM & PCC chief participated in this meeting today. All the leaders unanimously decided that Congress can win the Rajasthan elections provided there is unity among Rajasthan Congress. Today, all leaders decided to fight the elections unitedly. On the basis of winning ability, the candidates will be selected. The list of candidates will be announced in the first week of September", Venugopal said.
Venugopal further emphasized that any issues are to be discussed within the party and the internal issues ain't to be discussed outside of the party.

"The party has decided that everyone should follow strict discipline. Any issues are to be discussed within the party, and no one has the freedom to speak about the party's internal politics outside the party. Strict disciplinary action will be taken against those who violate this", he added.

Earlier today, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi met leaders from Rajasthan to assess preparations for assembly polls and bring greater cohesion in the state party unit amid differences between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.

The meeting was attended by Sachin Pilot and several other senior leaders from Rajasthan who will go for assembly polls later this year.

CM Gehlot joined the meeting through video conferencing.

Congress has been in power in Rajasthan over the past four-and-half-years and the differences between Gehlot and Pilot have made it harder for Congress to get another term in office in the state. Pilot led a revolt against Gehlot in 2020 and subsequently lost his positions as Deputy Chief Minister and state party chief.

The loyalists of the Chief Minister scuttled a meeting of party legislators last year which the AICC had planned for apparent leadership change in the state as Gehlot was to shift to Delhi as party chief.
Gehlot had then decided to continue as Chief Minister. Piot has accused the government of not taking appropriate action over "corruption" allegations faced by the BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje. He carried out Jan Sangarsh Yatra over his demands against the advice of party leadership.

Pilot also demanded to disband and reorganise the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC), which hit the headlines in the wake of the alleged paper leak case, and compensation to the affected candidates.
Rajasthan is among the five states that will go to assembly elections later this year along with Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram.

The Congress leadership has already held strategy meetings for the other poll-bound states.