On Monday, Shashi Tharoor met Sonia Gandhi and expressed his intention to contest the upcoming AICC chief polls.
Some of them have also endorsed Sachin Pilot as chief minister. However, they added that whatever decision the party high command takes in this regard, they will accept it.
As he said this, he set the target of winning 156 seats in the assembly election due later this year.
The 15 ministers were sworn in on Sunday for the expanded Gehlot cabinet, fulfilling a key demand of former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot whose rebellion last year shook the state's Congress government.
The meeting comes amid both leaders being seen as prospective contenders for the post of AICC president.
The coming weeks will be a tightrope walk for Gehlot who has 100 loyalists MLAs waiting to be rewarded on one side and the dissidents who wanted to be rehabilitated on the other, observes Prakash Bhandari.
Gehlot made the announcement in the presence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi at a rally here on the sidelines of the "Bharat Jodo Yatra".
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called Sachin Pilot a gaddar (traitor) on Thursday and said he cannot replace him as he had revolted against the Congress in 2020 and tried to topple his own government.
Supporters of the two leaders are competing in Hadoti to highlight their dominance, which is visible from the hoardings in the region. This has also led to blame games between leaders of the two factions.
Initial investigation revealed that the woman was in a relationship with another man, Dhariyawad SHO Peshawar Khan said, adding that the incident took place on Thursday.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on the premises of Rajasthan Congress leader and former minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and Punjab AAP MLA Kulwant Singh as part of a money laundering probe linked to the Rs 48,000-crore PACL Ponzi scam. Khachariyawas, who served as a minister in the Ashok Gehlot government, claimed the ED action was politically motivated due to his criticism of the government. Singh, a real estate promoter, is reported to be Punjab's richest MLA with assets worth Rs 1,000 crore. The ED has been investigating the PACL scam since 2015, alleging that the company defrauded investors of Rs 48,000 crore through fraudulent investment schemes.
The notice comes days before Delhi high court is scheduled to hear the Delhi police Crime Branch's application seeking vacating of an interim order staying coercive action against Sharma.
In an apparent attack on Gehlot, Pilot said one's upbringing should be such that he gives respect to others, adding that respect comes back when it is given.
Congress in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken on Monday slammed the MLAs loyal to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for setting conditions for a party resolution, terming it a "conflict of interest", and said their decision to hold a parallel meeting amounted to indiscipline.
Shakur Khan was detained on Wednesday night by an intelligence department team who were acting on security-related inputs.
Amid internal rumblings in the Punjab and Chhattisgarh Congress, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said his government will complete its full five-year tenure.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will meet the Congress high command in New Delhi on Wednesday amid suspense over whether he will file nomination for the post of party president, sources in Jaipur said.
The Congress party in India has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being "anti-Dalit" after a BJP leader sprinkled Ganga water at a Ram temple in Rajasthan to "purify" it following the visit of a Dalit Congress leader. The incident has sparked outrage among the Congress, with party leaders calling it an insult to Dalits and a reflection of the BJP's alleged casteist ideology.
Gehlot was accompanied by party's state chief Govind Singh Dotasra, Revenue minister Ramlal Jat, Director General of Police M L Lather and other leaders and officials during his visit to Lal's house at sector 14 here, officials said.
The decomposed body of a woman was found inside a refrigerator in a house in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas city on Friday, following which a former tenant was taken into custody for questioning, police officials said.
The suspension of 18 Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs from the Karnataka Legislative assembly for six months has been revoked, Speaker U T Khader said on Sunday.
Union minister files a case against Rajasthan officials, alleges that audio recordings of tapped phone conversations has tarnished his reputation and disturbed his mental peace.
Gehlot later told reporters that the Congress high-command will decide on the reshuffle and AICC general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan Ajay Maken has all the information about it.
The Congress MLAs who have been appointed advisers are Jitendra Singh, Rajkumar Sharma and Danish Abrar. Independent legislators Babu Lal Nagar, Sanyam Lodha and Ramkesh Meena have also been appointed advisers to Gehlot, according to a list released by the Chief Minister's Office.
Gehlot said even within the party, there is an opinion in favour of making Rahul the new president.
'Whatever misunderstanding occurred in the party in the last one month, we need to forgive and forget in the interest of the country, the state, the people and in the interest of democracy,' Gehlot said in a tweet.
The governor has also started using a bullet-proof car since Tuesday morning, the sources told PTI.
Gehlot said he has the proof that horse trading was being committed to topple his government.
Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union minister Thaawarchand Gehlot on Sunday took oath as the 19th Governor of Karnataka succeeding Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.
'When the Congress attacked Modiji, Vasundharaji kept mum.' 'Why was she so tongue-tied?' 'Everybody knows why she kept quiet then.'
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government on Wednesday presented the Budget for 2021-22 and said it will bring a Universal Healthcare scheme worth Rs 3,500 crore.
In an apparent reference to the return of Sachin Pilot and other rebel MLAs, the chief minister said that he told the MLAs on Tuesday night that they have to bear and work in the interest of people.
'I don't want to give any headline to the media as at present my focus is on the Bharat Jodo Yatra'
A coaching institute in Jaipur was sealed after several students fainted during a class, prompting calls for action against those responsible and a shift of such institutions to a designated "Coaching Hub". The incident, which saw students experiencing breathing difficulties and headaches, is suspected to have been caused by a gas leak from either a sewer line or the institute's kitchen. The Rajasthan Human Rights Commission has recommended free treatment and compensation for the affected students and an investigation into the matter.
Agrasain Gehlot has been asked to depose before the investigating officer on Wednesday in Delhi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, they said.
The BJP hit back, saying Gehlot has failed to run the government and is frustrated and making unreasonable allegations.
Gehlot, one of the proposers of Kharge, said Tharoor is also a good man and has good thoughts but he is from the elite class.
On Friday, Congress MLAs had squatted on the lawns of the Raj Bhawan for several hours, demanding that Governor Kalraj Mishra should summon a session of the Vidhan Sabha so that they can prove their majority.
This is the first time both the leaders met after Pilot openly rebelled against Gehlot a month back.
The Ministry of Home Affairs posted on X, 'In a news report, Chief Minister Chhattisgarh has expressed his inability to participate in G20 Dinner at Leaders' Summit at Delhi on 9 Sept 2023 due to air restrictions in and around Delhi.'
