Sense Of Defeat? Sonia, Rahul, Senior Congress Leaders Rush To Rajasthan

Senior Congress leaders are in the poll-bound Rajasthan days ahead of voting. The move is being seen as an attempt by the party's high command to set its house in order to avoid a defeat in the elections due to infighting within the state leadership. However, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said that Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi is in Jaipur to avoid air pollution in the national capital. Since the campaigning started for the Rajasthan polls, CM Ashok Gehlot and his bete noire Sachin Pilot have not shared a common stage in the state despite claiming unity within the party. 

Earlier today, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal held a meeting with Gehlot and Pilot. The meeting is being seen as an attempt to bridge the gap between the two leaders. The party believes that Sonia Gandhi's presence in the state capital will help make things smoother thus avoiding any negative impact on the poll results.

राजपथ : सोनिया गांधी के जयपुर दौरे का सच क्या है ? #Rajpath #RajasthanElection #AssemblyElection2023 #SoniaGandhi #Congress | @malhotra_malika @Ravi_ZeeNews pic.twitter.com/j9jPAstxHY — Zee News (@ZeeNews) November 15, 2023

Venugopal also brushed aside the claims of infighting within the party. "A perception has been made that there is no unity in Congress. But Congress is united...Here everybody is together, all the leaders of the Congress party are fighting together. I think the general mood is in favour of the Congress party," he said.

Rahul Gandhi is also in the state and will participate in electoral campaigns in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday and in Rajasthan on Thursday, and Sunday and next week on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sachin Pilot today told the news agency PTI that Congress is well placed to win at least four states and form governments. Pilot said that the party has received feedback that showed people's lack of faith in the BJP.

एक साथ
जीत रहे हैं फिर से#कांग्रेस_फिर_से pic.twitter.com/saWIdZ0SGl — Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) November 15, 2023

Rajasthan will go to polls on November 25. The Congress is in power in both the states. In Chhattisgarh, the Congress came to power in the state winning 68 of the 90 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged 15. In Rajasthan, the Congress won 99 out of 200 seats and formed the government with support from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Independents. The BJP secured 73 seats. (With agency inputs)