Hindustan Times (Jalandhar)

Post-poll alliance on cards as Cong nears magic figure

Newly elected Congress MLAs will meet on Wednesday to discuss new leadership and CM face

- HT Correspond­ent letters@hindustant­imes.com

: The Congress is likely to go for a post-poll alliance in Rajasthan, where it won 99 seats, former chief minister and senior state leader Ashok Gehlot said on Tuesday, as the party, along with its allies, crossed the majority mark in the state assembly.

The BJP, which was aiming to buck a trend of the incumbent party never coming back to power, won 73 seats.

The election to one seat in the House of 200 was put off following the death of a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate.

Gehlot indicated that the party would look towards assembling an alliance by taking along willing parties and the candidates who have parted ways with the BJP. His comments came a day before the party’s newly elected MLAs meet, along with observers sent from Delhi.

The Congress contested the assembly elections with a prepoll alliance on five seats -- Mundawar and Kushalgarh (with Loktantrik Janta Dal (LJD); Bharatpur and Malpura (with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD); and Bali (with NCP).

“The Congress will form the government. This is the mandate of the public, which is in favour of the Congress. We will get a clear majority and will also take along other parties or candidates who quit the BJP,” Gehlot told reporters as trends indicated a victory for his party.

Congress legislator­s will meet on Wednesday morning to discuss and decide who will be their leader, who will go on to be the next chief minister.

The two front-runners are Rajasthan party chief Sachin Pilot and two-time chief minister Ashok Gehlot.

A final decision is expected to be announced after observers sent by the All India Congress Committee to the legislator­s’ meeting in Jaipur return to Delhi and brief Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. In a show of unity, both Gehlot and Pilot – along with other leaders – appeared before the media, flashing the victory sign.

“The Congress party offered a better alternativ­e under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the party president. The party fought for five years and were on streets and it is hard work of Congress leaders and workers that has pushed the party to a position that the Congress will comfortabl­y form the government,” Pilot said.

“The Congress will form the government. This is the mandate of the public,” Gehlot told reporters. BJP spokespers­on Mukesh Pareek said the party in Rajasthan had worked for all sections of society. “Despite that, where we did wrong will be assessed after the elections. We fulfilled 95% of the promises made in 2013 and worked for developmen­t,” he said.

The elections were fought on the issues of economic developmen­t, corruption and farm distress with both parties, but the Congress in particular, battling a large number of rebels.

 ??  ?? Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot (right) and Sachin Pilot (centre) flash victory signs as KC Venugopal looks on after the assembly election results were out in Jaipur on Tuesday. HIMANSHU VYAS/HT
Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot (right) and Sachin Pilot (centre) flash victory signs as KC Venugopal looks on after the assembly election results were out in Jaipur on Tuesday. HIMANSHU VYAS/HT

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