Why won't Gehlot agree to any truce formula with Pilot?

New Delhi: The Congress leadership is trying hard to resolve the ongoing bitter feud between Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot ahead of the crucial assembly elections in the desert state, due in November-December this year.

However, it has failed to bring the two warring leaders on the same platform.

Gehlot is adamant that he won't work with Pilot, insisting that the former Rajasthan Congress president is the only state unit head in the history of the grand old party who tried to topple his own government.

The enmity between the two has escalated since the rebellion by Pilot and his supporters against Gehlot in July 2020 and matters turned worse with the young leader's recent day-long fast over inaction against the previous BJP government on the issue of corruption. The two can't see eye-to-eye with Gehlot unwilling to forgive Pilot.

The Congress high command had recently asked a senior leader and a former chief minister to intervene in the matter and try to end the ongoing tussle.

After talking to both sides, he suggested that while Gehlot should continue as the chief minister, Pilot should once again be made the Rajasthan Congress chief.

Gehlot rejected the truce formula outright, saying that Jats are likely to support the Congress in a big way in the upcoming elections and hence it won't be feasible to remove state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasara, a Jat, at this juncture.

Gehlot wants the Congress leadership to send Pilot out of Rajasthan to ensure unity in the state unit and also keep tight control over the ticket distribution.

It will be a herculean task for Pilot to ensure the nomination of his supporting legislators, especially after their revolt against Gehlot.

Options before Pilot

Pilot might form a separate political party if his demands are not met by Congress. He is likely to enter into an alliance with Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief Hanuman Beniwal and also the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to emerge as a third front. The move will be a win-win situation for the BJP as he is likely to cut into the Congress vote though personally, he won't gain much.

The other option before Pilot is to accept the Congress leadership's long-standing proposal to become a general secretary of a state and wait for Gehlot's marginalisation in Rajasthan politics. With Congress party's Maharashtra in-charge HK Patil taking over as a minister in Karnataka, Pilot could be his replacement.

Maharashtra is a big state and along with Bihar and Uttar Pradesh holds the key to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Congress leaders are of the view that it is a good option but then Pilot is, what his detractors say, a man in a hurry.