Pilot explores options to keep himself relevant
Pilot contacted Kishor to help him in his image-building before the Assembly polls: Sources
After a failed show from Sachin Pilot in trying to make the Congress high command take a decision on pending Rajasthan issues, Pilot is now, according to sources, believed to have contacted Prashant Kishor. There is speculation that the former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan wants to separately hire Kishor’s political agency to help him in his image-building before the upcoming Assembly elections.
Similarities are being drawn with Karnataka Congress unit president who had hired Designbox to help him mend his image in what was being seen as a game of one-upmanship with Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah. In the same way, Pilot is assumed to be working to keep himself popular ahead of the Rajasthan Chief Minister and his intra-party rival Ashok Gehlot.
This comes at a time when Pilot seems side-lined by the Congress’ central leadership. For instance, in the recently floated list of star campaigners for Karnataka Assembly polls, he is the only popular leader who has not been included in the list. He had been considered close to Rahul Gandhi and was being seen as Rahul’s CM choice for Rajasthan. However sources claim that Pilot has not been able to meet Rahul Gandhi for more than two months which has blurred his prospects in the party.
A political analyst based in Rajasthan said, “Why would Rahul Gandhi meet Pilot? If Gandhi meets him, Pilot will ask Rahul Gandhi about the promise he had made to make him the CM of the state. What will Rahul Gandhi say to that? Everything is happening in shadows in Rajasthan politics. The situation has become more complex than it is being judged. And the dirty linen may come out in open in much worse shape as the Assembly elections come near if a clear-cut decision by the high command is not made.”
Moreover, Pilot may have already explored other options as he had met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla (from BJP) and also the AAP’S top leadership in recent times. Political observers claim that he may be replete with options as he could join AAP and carry on his anti-corruption narrative in the state or he can also join BJP as Amit Shah wants to size down former BJP CM Vasundhara Raje as he could come up as a handy replacement to Raje. But to leave Congress could be his big mistake, claim analysts.
There are rumours that when Pilot was adamant on taking on the central leadership by keeping a fast and portraying Mahatma Gandhi’s picture behind him instead of Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, it signalled that he has burnt all bridges behind and wants Congress to take a clear decision with a now or never approach. But, the Congress has gone back to status quo by not taking a clear decision on its ever struggling Rajasthan cadre. The maintaining of status quo, an analyst said, fuels the shadow play between the two leaders (Pilot and Ashok Gehlot) which depletes the party bit by bit every day.