Rajasthan Governor rejects Gehlot’s request for assembly session again

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s request for an assembly session has been rejected for the second time by the Governor in an escalating confrontation. Governor Kalraj Mishra this morning returned, with queries, the Chief Minister’s proposal for a session from July 31 Friday.

This was a revised proposal sent to the Governor but it also did not cut ice with him. The Governor had rejected the earlier proposal given last Friday citing the rebels MLAs’ petition being heard in courts among the reasons.

Meanwhile a section of the media citing their sources said that to weaken the Governor’s argument against calling a session, the Congress is set to drop its case in the Supreme Court, which will today take up a petition involving the Speaker’s constitutional powers to start disqualification proceedings against Sachin Pilot and 18 rebel MLAs. A section of the Congress favours dropping the case and pursuing a political solution, the media said citing information from their sources.

The Congress has also accused the governor of acting under pressure from the BJP to stall a test of strength in the assembly. The Supreme Court is all set to hear at 11am today a petition filed by Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi against the rebel MLAs led by now-sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot who engineered a revolt against the Gehlot government.