Congress sets up 29-member election panel for poll-bound Rajasthan

The Congress on Thursday set up a 29-member Pradesh Election Committee for poll-bound Rajasthan with state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra named as its chairman.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot, besides former Union minister Jitendra Singh are among its members.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal for the constitution of the Pradesh Election Committee for the ensuing assembly elections in Rajasthan this year, a party statement said.

Party leaders Raghuveer Meena, Raghu Sharma, Harish Choudhary, Pratap Singh Kachariyawas, Rameshwar Dudi, Mohan Prakash and Lalchand Kataria have also been named as members of the panel.

The setting up of the committee comes days after Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, AICC in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Randhawa, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Dotasra, Pilot and several MLAs and ministers from the state attended a poll strategy meeting at the AICC headquarters here on July 6.

Gehlot, who was recovering from injuries to his toes, had attended the meeting via video conferencing.

Following the meeting, the Congress had asserted it can win the Rajasthan assembly elections provided there is unity and warned of strict action against those not maintaining discipline and speaking outside the party forum.

The party had also indicated that it may not declare a chief ministerial face for the polls due later this year.

In an interview with PTI, Pilot had earlier this month had made it clear on Saturday that he has buried the hatchet with Gehlot on the advice of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, saying collective leadership was the "only way" forward going into the assembly polls.

The Congress is seeking to return to power in Rajasthan and its has ended the power tussle between Gehlot and Pilot.

The party leadership has brokered a deal between chief minister and his former deputy, who have decided to work together to ensure that the Congress returns to power.