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Ashok Gehlot meets governor, sparks speculation; Raj Bhavan terms it courtesy call
Ashok Gehlot apart from discussing the coronavirus disease outbreak and the state’s efforts to contain it, also wanted to take up the possibility of holding a special assembly session in the 45-minute meeting, an official said.
Amidst a political tug of war in the state, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot called on governor Kalraj Mishra on Saturday evening in what the Raj Bhavan termed a courtesy call.
But a government official, who did not want to be named said, Gehlot apart from discussing the coronavirus disease outbreak and the state’s efforts to contain it, also wanted to take up the possibility of holding a special assembly session in the 45-minute meeting.
The official privy to the CM’s meeting with governor said Gehlot apprised Mishra of the current political situation. The agenda of the special session, if it happens, is not known, the official said. As per rules, the governor has to notify holding of the session on the recommendation of the cabinet.
The meeting comes on the day two Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) MLAs said they will back Gehlot in the power tussle with former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who has rebelled with 18 Congress legislators. The Pilot camp also has the support of three independents. These MLAs are believed to be camping in Gurugram.
Gehlot, on the other hand, has the support of 101 MLAs (86 from the Congress, 10 independent and 5 from other parties) — the majority mark in the 200-member state assembly. The CM’s supporters are in a hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur. In addition to this, there are two other Congress MLAs — speaker CP Joshi and Bhawarlal Meghwal, who is indisposed.
The meeting also comes at a time when the Rajasthan high court is hearing a petition by the Pilot camp, which has challenged the Speaker’s disqualification notices to the dissidents. Pilot and 18 other rebel Congress MLAs got a four-day breather on Friday as the HC directed that no action be taken against them until Tuesday over their failure to attend a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting.
Political analyst Narayan Bareth said the meeting could give a signal to people and Gehlot’s opponents that the CM is confident about his numbers and wants to seek a trust vote.
“The meeting indicates that an assembly session might be called to deal with the issue...which could later change in to a floor test. It looks like a strategic move,” he said.
The petition by the Pilot camp challenged the speaker’s notice, which was based on a complaint by Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi, that the rebel MLAs should be disqualified from the assembly for defying an order asking all party legislators to be present at CLP meetings on Monday and Tuesday. All 19 MLAs skipped both the meetings. In the high court, the Pilot camp said the whip cannot apply when an assembly session is not in place.
