Congress’ return gift to Ashok Gehlot; Mahesh Joshi misses poll ticket
The Congress decision to axe Mahesh Joshi in the list of tickets for the party nominee revived the memories of a helpless observer Ajay Maken speaking to the media on his inability to hold a meeting of the legislators on the direction of the party high command amid raging feud between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his rival in the state Sachin Pilot.
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, November 4: The Congress on Saturday late evening released the sixth list for the Rajasthan Assembly elections. The ruling party in the state denied nomination to the incumbent minister Mahesh Joshi from the Hawa Mahal Assembly constituency.
The Congress decision to axe Mahesh Joshi in the list of tickets for the party nominee revived the memories of a helpless observer Ajay Maken speaking to the media on his inability to hold a meeting of the legislators on the direction of the party high command amid raging feud between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his rival in the state Sachin Pilot.
The political commentators had noted that Gehlot’s key lieutenants who ensured that the meeting of the legislators could not be held included the Cabinet minister Mahesh Joshi, who currently represents the Hawa mahal Assembly constituency. The Congress in the sixth list has given the party ticket to R R Tiwari in place of Joshi.
The buzz had been doing rounds for a while that the Congress may deny tickets to some of the aides of Gehlot who had helped the chief minister in defying the party high command’s direction to hold a meeting of the legislators at the time of the internal crisis in the outfit. Joshi along with Shanti Dhaliwal and a few more had ensured that the meeting of the legislators could not take place.
Maken who was sent as the Central observer was left fuming as he had given vent to his frustrations before the media. Later, Maken was removed as the party’s observer for Rajasthan as the high command of the Congress was seen to have acquiesced to the brinkmanship of Gehlot, who had also refused to become the official candidate for the post of the president of the organisation.
Speculation is rife that the Congress may also deny tickets to Dhaliwal. The Congress leaders claim that the party has made the selection of the candidates on the basis of ground surveys. Yet, the Congress has largely renominated most of the loyalists of Gehlot, and only singled out those who had worked to defy the direction of the party high command. The Congress claims to have brokered peace between Gehlot and Pilot ahead of the Assembly election in the state.
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