Another MLA bats for Pilot as Rajasthan CM

Jaipur: Another Congress MLA in Rajasthan, P.R. Meena, has come out in support of making Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot as Chief Minister in the wake of the party's rout in the Lok Sabha elections.

"The biggest reason for the Lok Sabha debacle is that Sachin Pilot was not made the Chief Minister. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot should be held responsible for this defeat. A young face should be made the Chief Minister," the MLA from Todabheem said.

Pointing out that Gehlot had led the Congress to defeat in Assembly elections in the past too, he said it was necessary to make Pilot helm the government in Rajasthan.

"When I say that Pilot should be made the CM, I am emphasising on his impact due to which we got a majority in the Assembly elections," Meena said.

"Hence I say that Pilot should be made the CM. Out of 46 seats in eastern Rajasthan, the Congress won 43 seats in Assembly elections."

According to Meena, various communities including Jats, Gujjars and Meenas were angry with Gehlot.

If Rajasthan had a young Chief Minister, the Lok Sabha results would have been different, he added.

Some other MLAs had earlier batted for Pilot, who incidentally was blamed by Gehlot for the defeat of the Chief Minister's son in the Jodhpur Lok Sabha constituency.

The BJP swept the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, winning 24 seats while an ally won another seat.