Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot In Congress' 1st Rajasthan List, No Major Changes

The Congress today released the first list of 33 candidates for Rajasthan assembly elections, fielding Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot from Sardarpura and his former deputy, Sachin Pilot, from Tonk.

Rajasthan Assembly Speaker C P Joshi will contest from his Nathdwara assembly seat, while the party's state unit president, Govind Singh Dotasra, has been fielded from Lachhmangarh.

The Congress' state election committee met last meet to discuss the names of candidates for the crucial November 25 polls. The party leaders also discussed potential strategies for the election.

The Rajasthan elections are crucial for the Congress, as the party hopes to break the state's revolving door trend, where the incumbent party has routinely been voted out of power.

But the disagreement between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot complicates the scenario, cornering the party into resolving its leadership issues.

The two leaders, however, appeared headed for reconciliation after several attempts, with both Mr Gehlot and Mr Pilot engaging in extensive discussions with senior party leaders in Delhi.

After solving the Karnataka conundrum of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar - who shared a somewhat similar equation - the party has managed to get Ashok Gehlot on board to meet Sachin Pilot's demands.

Sachin Pilot had last month said that the party would fight the assembly elections "unitedly". "Once we secure the mandate, the legislators and the leadership will decide on the Chief Minister face," he had said.