Sachin Pilot almost “took out a Scindia” earlier this year when he rebelled against Ashok Gehlot
Jaipur:
Jyotiraditya Scindia, whose defection from Congress to the BJP is the main trigger for Madhya Pradesh’s 28-seat by-elections on November 3, takes on her former party while campaigning in her home turf, Gwalior.
16 of the seats where by-votes take place are in the Gwalior-Chambal region, which is considered a stronghold of the Scindias, a former royal family. To stay in power, the BJP needs to win eight seats. Congress, if it wins all 28, can try again.
The man Congress has designated as its star activist in the region is Sachin Pilot, Scindia’s former comrade in arms. The two were considered close collaborators before the Scindia revolt removed him from Congress.
Pilot almost “took out a Scindia” earlier this year when he rebelled against Rajasthan’s chief minister, Ashok Gehlot. But after weeks of sulking, Pilot bounced back from conversations with Congress Speaker Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi, and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The congressional leader today refused to directly target his former colleague even though he is campaigning for the defeat of his candidates. “The public knows exactly why these elections are being held. I am campaigning for my party, he is campaigning for his. It is the people who will decide,” Pilot told NDTV.
At congressional rallies, Pilot stands as an example of how to solve her problems within the party and stand her ground instead of defecting as Scindia. When it was pointed out, the leader of Congress again avoided attacking Mr. Scindia: “In our party, whatever is said and heard, there is a mechanism. I expressed my views, I am glad that the President of Congress has taken note and have traced a path of resolution. “
When Mr. Scindia was asked if it was turning into a Congress versus Congress fight in his domain, he said: “This is an election for all BJP workers. All workers and party leaders are working together; this is the first Once for me. When I was in Congress, there was tremendous factionalism. There is a lot of discipline in the BJP. “
He added that in these parliamentary elections, the “BJP has everything to win, Congress has everything to lose.”
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