Rajasthan polls: Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot to fight election, BJP MP Harish joins Congress 

In a major political development, two senior leaders of the Congress party, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin pilot have decided to contest the Rajasthan assembly election on December 7.

Putting an end to the speculations, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told the media,“Both Sachin Pilot and I will be contesting the assembly elections this year.”

He was addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Delhi on Wednesday. “After the aadesh (order) of Rahul Gandhi ji and the nivedan (request) of Ashok Gehlot ji, I will also be contesting the assembly elections this year,” Pilot added.

According to reliable sources, there were contradicting opinions about fielding senior leaders in the assembly election. A section of the Congress party wanted them to be more on the campaigning front as both leaders are known as crowd pullers, whereas another section wanted them to fight the election.

During the press conference, it was formally announced that the BJP MP from Dausa Harish Meena has joined the Congress party. Meena, who is also a former Director General of Police (DGP) of Rajasthan, said during the conference that he joined the Congress without any conditions.

In another development, Rajasthan MLA Habibur Rahman, who quit the BJP on Monday after being denied a ticket, will also be joining the Congress in Jaipur, reported local media.

The grand old party is yet to release its first list of candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly elections, with party leaders maintaining that the announcement of the candidates will be made soon.