The already fragile government of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is being put through multiple pulverisations, with the latest one coming in the form of no less than Congress councillors voting for the BJP in the zilla parishad polls recently concluded in the state. In fact, the Congress asking its councillors to vote for the saffron party in Dungarpur to defeat a Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP)-backed Independent candidate contesting for the zilla pramukh post has not augured well for many in the state, and the BTP has already withdrawn its support to the Congress government, leaving the Grand Old Party shivering in the winter cold.
The Congress government of Rajasthan, needless to say, cannot afford to lose even one MLA of its own, as then, their entire house of cards would come tumbling down. With two BTP MLAs withdrawing their support to the Congress government, other allies of the party in Rajasthan will also most likely start rethinking their stance over supporting the Congress, which has been exposed as an unfavoured party in the recent Panchayat polls across the state. In fact, an undercurrent against the Gehlot government seems to have been uncovered across Rajasthan.
Now, Ashok Gehlot is looking to placate all the MLAs supporting his government. Currently, his government enjoys the thin and largely unreliable support of 13 Independent MLAs and one RLD member. Apart from them, the Congress has 105 MLAs of its own, which unfortunately for Gehlot, include six BSP MLAs who jumped ship after the 2018 election. Gehlot presently has 21 cabinet ministers, even as he looks to add 9 more to strengthen his government. There can be a maximum of 30 cabinet ministers in the state.
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Giving 9 MLAs ministerial posts will have close to no effect to really strengthen his government, which is why according to India Today, Gehlot is looking to accommodate the remaining 100 MLAs to some posts to ensure the longevity of the government. According to a formula being discussed, Gehlot can induct nine more MLAs as ministers in his cabinet. Ten MLAs can be appointed as parliamentary secretaries. Around 40 MLAs could be appointed on boards and commissions in Rajasthan. Another 20 MLAs could be made heads of various assembly committees and over a dozen as civic body chairpersons.
Read more: Something is rotten in the state of Rajasthan – Ashok Gehlot’s putrid ineptitude
In the recent panchayat polls in Rajasthan, while the BJP won 1,989 of the 4,371 seats, the Congress was able to garner 1,852 seats for itself. Interestingly, however, the setback suffered by the Congress becomes clearer when the figures of independent victories are added to the total tally. Independent candidates won 439 seats in the panchayat polls, while the RLP and CPI(M) got 70 and 26 seats respectively.
The BJP in any case has time and again asserted that the Congress government of Rajasthan will not last its full term up to 2023, particularly with the thin and largely fragile majority that it has in the state assembly. Knowing full well that Ashok Gehlot’s government could fall even with a few Congress MLAs rebelling, the Congress legislators are flexing their muscles in order to get themselves installed in top positions across the state in return for their continued support to Gehlot’s government. Essentially, however, the BJP could pull the rug from under Gehlot’s feet at any moment of its choosing.