Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot to Visit Delhi Today, Likely to Meet Sonia Gandhi

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

(Photo: PTI)

Amid political turmoil in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is expected to visit Delhi on Wednesday, 28 September, to meet Congress party's interim president, Sonia Gandhi, sources said.

This comes a day after the party served show-cause notices to three Gehlot loyalists – Rajasthan ministers Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi, and Dharmendra Rathore – for their "grave indiscipline" of organising a parallel meeting with the MLAs and not attending the Congress Legislative Party meeting.

The notices have been issued on the basis of the report submitted by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers, Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge, to Sonia Gandhi.

This comes after 82 Rajasthan MLAs held a parallel meeting at Dhariwal's residence in Jaipur, laying down conditions to the party. The MLAs did not attend the official legislative 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.

Congress' disciplinary committee has asked the three to explain within 10 days why action should not be initiated against them, reported news agency PTI.

Gehlot Out of Party President Race: Sources

Sources told The Quint on Monday, 26 September, that Gehlot is now out of the party president's race. Sonia Gandhi is said to have initiated discussions with senior party leaders from across the country to resolve the crisis in Rajasthan, even as Gehlot's fate remains uncertain.

In the wake of the developments in the state, Gehlot reached out to Sonia Gandhi. It is learnt that he told her that he was not behind the parallel meet of the MLAs and it was organised without his knowledge, reported PTI citing sources.

He is also learnt to have told her that he would abide by any decision taken by her and the party, the sources added.

Meanwhile, Gehlot also held a special meeting with Rajasthan’s ministers at his residence in Jaipur on Tuesday.

(With inputs from PTI.)