The ruling Congress in Rajasthan on Saturday launched its campaign for bypolls to four Assembly seats with farmers’ rallies in two districts, where the party leadership tried to put up a united face. Both Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Tonk MLA Sachin Pilot, who was sacked as the Deputy CM last year, addressed the large gatherings of farmers.
Mr. Gehlot and his former deputy shared a helicopter ride from Jaipur to the two villages in Bikaner and Chittorgarh districts for the first time in more than a year. Mr. Pilot, who had staged a rebellion in July last year, has been addressing huge ‘kisan mahapanchayats’ along with the MLAs of his camp in the eastern Rajasthan region.
The two leaders came together apparently at the instance of the party’s top leadership, besides the political necessity in which Mr. Pilot could not be sidelined any more in the run-up to the bypolls. AICC general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan, Ajay Maken, who flew along with Mr. Gehlot and Mr. Pilot,…