Sachin Pilot, who is also the head of the Rajasthan Congress, calls for the support of 30 deputies.
Jaipur:
Rajasthan’s deputy chief minister, Sachin Pilot, who declared an open revolt against Congress, said today that he “would not join the BJP”.
His assertion to GalacticGaming came amid reports of his likely meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda today.
Pilot is camping in Delhi and is on the verge of skipping a large show of force in Jaipur of Congressmen assigned to attend a meeting at the home of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
The 42-year-old, who is also the head of Congress in Rajasthan, is calling for the support of 30 deputies, enough to overthrow the government led by his rival and boss Ashok Gehlot.
Congress disputed his request; the party says it has 109 MPs – half of the 200 assembly members is 101 – and Mr. Pilot has 16 MPs at best.
The BJP has been “on hold” during the ongoing Rajasthan Congress crisis and will closely follow Ashok Gehlot’s meeting as he decides on his next course of action, party sources said on Sunday.
Mr. Pilot’s assistants do not deny a dialogue with the BJP although they say that negotiations are not active.
A BJP leader said on Sunday that the rebel congressional leader appeared “to have made up his mind” and was unwilling to reconcile with the leadership of Mr. Gehlot.
A statement issued to Mr. Pilot’s team said that the Congressional government led by Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan is now in the minority.
In the past year, the BJP has come to power in states like Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, thanks to congressional defections.
Former Congressman Jyotiraditya Scindia was instrumental in the overthrow of the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh and joined the BJP with his supporters later.
Mr. Scindia and Mr. Pilot have long shared a warm personal relationship, and the former tweeted Sunday in support of the leader of Rajasthan with a knock on the Congress. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Mr. Scindia also accompanied Mr. Pilot to a meeting with a BJP official.
