Amid the ongoing tussle in the Congress in Rajasthan, fresh differences have cropped up after a senior MLA and minister from the Pilot camp have refused to contest the forthcoming Assembly polls.
However, senior ministers of the Gehlot camp are keen to fight polls.
Pro-Pilot MLA and former Assembly Speaker Dipendra Singh Shekhawat, 72, has refused to contest the Assembly elections. Shekhawat said, “Now I will be an MLA for three to four months more 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 programme in the past.
On the other hand, 73-year-old state education Minister B.D. Kalla from the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot camp has refused to withdraw from the election race.
On the issue of aged leaders not contesting elections, Kalla said, “If someone else is ready to contest polls, I will leave the seat. However, no one is ready yet… There is no candidate in front of me to fight the BJP, so the ground is very clear. I will contest the election, I am the winning candidate,” he said.
Another Congress Minister Hemaram Chowdhary, who is also a pro-pilot man has already declared that he will not contest the next election.
Congress state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa recently said that the “elderly leaders should leave fascination for chair and should set an example by giving space to the youth”.
In fact, other Congress MLAs, including Bharat Singh from Sangod and Congress MLA from Shiv constituency, Amin Khan have also refused to contest the next election. All the leaders have argued for promoting the youth.
Bharat Singh and Amin Khan have also said several times on various public forums that they will not contest the next election while advocating for promoting youth. The leaders in the Congress, who have announced their withdrawal from the election field, are mostly above 75.
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