Cong seeks report from Rajasthan unit after local poll loss

New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) Sensing a fresh trouble in the politically volatile state of Rajasthan, the Congress high command on Thursday sought a report from its state unit after the party lost the Panchayat polls to the BJP, sources said.The Congress move comes in the wake of loss in Bihar, where the complacency on the part of the leaders was questioned.In Rajasthan, the party saw an internal crisis after Sachin Pilot raised a banner of revolt, though he came back after a truce was effected. Trouble, however, in the state seems to be far from over.Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is at the receiving end after the loss. Though he blamed Covid for the loss, Gehlot said, “In district council and Panchayat polls, the results were not to our expectation and from the past nine months our government was involved in Covid management and our priority was to save lives and livelihood of the people”.He said, “Due to corona we could not publicise our work and the opposition misled the people but we will give a befitting reply to the opposition considering the feedback from the people.”The Congress lost even in the state president Govind Singh Dotasara’s area, and many party candidates from the constituencies of several Ministers also lost. While reacting on the poll loss, Sachin Pilot told the media that “the government will complete the term”, however the results should not be linked with farmers agitation and he will put his view to the party high command.In a shocker to Rajasthan’s ruling Congress, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party swept 1,911 seats in the recently held Panchayat Samiti elections while the Congress managed to win 1,781 seats.The Independents gained 425 seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party got three seats while the CPI-M captured 16 seats in the elections. The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party got 57 seats, according to the State Election Commission website.Preempting any move from the rival camp, Gehlot has attacked his detractors in the party. While inaugurating a Congress office in Sirohi district recently, he had said that the state government was saved from a crisis as the senior leaders suspended the rebels within the party fold.He also accused the opposition BJP of restarting the “game of thrones” again to topple his government.The rebel leaders, he was insinuating at, were former Pradesh Congress Committee chief and his former deputy Sachin Pilot, and the Tonk leader’s loyalists, including Ramesh Meena and Vishvendra Singh. Meena and Singh were suspended and removed as state ministers when Pilot with his 18 MLAs went to Manesar in an open rebellion against the Gehlot leadership.–IANSmiz/dpb