Ministers, MLAs meet Gehlot as Cong tries to defuse crisis

New Delhi/Jaipur: Several ministers and MLAs were seen paying a visit to Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot at his residence in Jaipur on Tuesday evening amid a deepening crisis in the state Congress over the appointment of Gehlot's successor should he contest the forthcoming Congress presidential elections.

According to latest reports, AICC observers who were sent to Rajasthan to resolve the power tussle have submitted their report to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The development comes around the same time when Gehlot's former deputy and now rival Sachin Pilot reached Delhi. Pilot was seen leaving the airport but the purpose of his arrival to the national capital has not yet been disclosed.

Meanwhile, Pilot has quashed reports of him telling the Congress high command that Gehlot should not remain the chief minister if he decides to run for the party presidential polls, and that it was his responsibility to bring the MLAs together. The ex-deputy CM called the news report 'false'.

Congress sources also said that Ashok Gehlot is being ruled out from the Congress' president post and it is likely that Kumari Selja could be considered for the top post while Rahul Gandhi's choice is said to be KC Venugopal.