AFTER HAVING replaced its Chief Minister in Punjab, the Congress leadership has now turned its attention towards Rajasthan to set its faction-ridden house in order in the state. The immediate outcome of the meeting could be expansion and reshuffle of the Ashok Gehlot Cabinet to include several loyalists of Pilot.
For the second time in a week, Gandhi met Pilot on Friday. AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too joined in the deliberations. While some of the leaders in the Pilot camp said the meeting was “very positive”, the key question is whether the Congress leadership, if not immediately, was looking at a leadership change in Rajasthan as well. A senior Congress leader said “things are moving in the right direction” in Rajasthan, signaling that a Cabinet reshuffle would be the first of the many changes that will take place in the state. While Assembly elections are still a little over two years away, the party has signaled that it has already started applying its mind on how to retain power in the state.