Ending the suspense over the next Chief Minister of Rajasthan, the Congress on Friday named 67-year-old Ashok Gehlot for the top post and nominated 41-year-old Sachin Pilot as his deputy.
While the decision on Chhattisgarh’s chief ministerial face will be taken on Saturday, Madhya Pradesh’s Chief Minister-designate Kamal Nath met Governor Anandiben Patel and announced that he would take the oath on Monday.
Third term
The Rajasthan compromise came after several rounds of meetings between Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other leaders. The post of Deputy Chief Minister was the compromise Mr. Gandhi offered to placate Mr. Pilot after the party chose Mr. Gehlot for a third term to lead the State.
Mr. Gehlot will be sworn in on Monday. A Congress delegation met Governor Kalyan Singh and staked the party’s claim to form the government. It handed over a list of the elected 99 Congress MLAs, as well as others supporting the party.
Mr. Gehlot’s choice was announced at the party headquarters by the Congress central observer, K.C. Venugopal. Addressing the media, Mr. Gehlot thanked the Congress chief for giving him the opportunity and promised “good governance.” Mr. Pilot said the results in the three States were a turning point ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha poll.
