Pilot camp minister in Rajasthan refuses to contest next election
Jaipur (IANS) | Amid the ongoing tussle in the Congress in Rajasthan, a senior MLA and minister from the Pilot camp has said that he will not contest the upcoming assembly elections. After this, differences have once again come to the fore in the Gehlot and Pilot camps. However, all the senior ministers of the Gehlot camp want to contest the elections.
72-year-old Deepender Singh Shekhawat, a pro-Pilot MLA and former assembly speaker, has refused to contest the assembly elections. Shekhawat said, now I will be MLA for three to four more months and after that the code of conduct will be imposed. Considering my health, I have decided that I will not contest the next assembly elections.
Shekhawat has announced not to contest elections even in a public program in the past.
On the other hand, 73-year-old state education minister B.D. Kalla, who belongs to the Ashok Gehlot camp, has refused to withdraw from the election race.
On the issue of elderly leaders not contesting, Kalla said, “If someone else is ready to contest, I will leave the seat.” However, as of now no one is ready.. no one is ready to contest against the BJP. That’s why my ground is absolutely clear. I will contest the election, I am the winning candidate.
Another Congress minister Hemaram Chowdhary, who is a Pilot supporter, has already announced that he will not contest the next election.
Congress state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had recently said that ‘elderly leaders should give up the fascination of the chair and set an example by giving place to the youth’.
In fact, other Congress MLAs including Bharat Singh from Sangod and Congress MLA from Shiv Assembly constituency Amin Khan have also refused to contest the next election. All the leaders have given the plea to take the youth forward.
Bharat Singh and Amin Khan, while advocating to take the youth forward, have said several times in various public forums that they will not contest the next elections. Most of the leaders in Congress who have announced to withdraw from the election field are above 75 years.
–IANS
