Disgruntled Congress MLAs meet Ashok Gehlot, likely to accompany CM to Udaipur

A group of Congress MLAs, who had expressed resentment with the party and government, met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at his residence late on Saturday night and held discussions, party sources said on Sunday. Rajendra Gudha, Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Lakhan Meena, (BSP turned Congress MLAs), Girraj Singh Malinga and Khiladi Lal Bairwa met Gehlot, the sources said. Discussions were held on matters related to the MLAs, the sources said. The sources said these MLAs are likely to go to Udaipur along with the chief minister on Sunday.

Gehlot is set to visit Udaipur on Sunday to meet his party MLAs and Independents who have been housed in a hotel amid fears of horse-trading ahead of election on four seats of the Rajya Sabha in the state on June 10. The chief minister was scheduled to visit Udaipur on Saturday but the tour was postponed. At present, around 90 MLAs, including 11 of the 13 Independents, are lodged in the hotel in Udaipur. The Congress has a total of 108 MLAs, including six BSP legislators who had merged with the party. Of the six, only one is present in Udaipur as of now. Some of them had expressed resentment with the Congress and the government, and had stayed back in Jaipur. The Congress has fielded three candidates — Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Surjewala and Pramod Tiwari, while the BJP has nominated former minister Ghanshyam Tiwari and supported media baron Subhash Chandra who has filed nomination as an Independent. Congress leaders claim support of 126 MLAs, including 108 of the party. It requires a total of 123 votes to win three seats.