Rajasthan Political Crisis: ‘BJP Raising Horse Trading Rates,’ Claims Ashok Gehlot, Shifts MLAs to Jaisalmer

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been guarding his flock of supporters, who were staying at hotel Fairmont in Jaipur, as they gear up for the trust vote where he leads by a very narrow margin.

New Delhi: The high-power political drama in Rajasthan is gaining momentum by the day as the new assembly session date closes in and about 100 Congress MLAs supporting Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are likely to be shifted to Jaisalmer by a special flight on Friday.

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra had on Wednesday approved the government’s proposal to hold the next Assembly session from August 14.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been guarding his flock of supporters, who were staying at hotel Fairmont in Jaipur, as they gear up for the trust vote where he leads by a very narrow margin. Confident that he will win the floor test when the assembly convenes next fortnight, Gehlot claimed that the BJP has been increasing its “rates of horse-trading” since the announcement of the next assembly session.

Neither CM Ashok Gehlot nor his party has officially suggested a test of strength, however, they have made grave allegations against the BJP trying to topple the Rajasthan government. The chief minister also said that the rebels who have not accepted money should return to the party fold.

The Gehlot MLAs have been staying in the hotel since July 13 after former deputy CM Sachin Pilot rebelled against the government, taking 18 other Congress MLAs with him and triggering a political crisis.

They are likely to be kept in Jaisalmer till August 14, although sources did not elaborate on the reasons for shifting the MLAs.

It is believed that if these rebel MLAs do not attend the Assembly session, they will automatically be disqualified from the Assembly. At present, they MLAs are fighting Speaker CP Joshi’s move to disqualify them.