Rajasthan crisis live updates: HC verdict on Sachin Pilot, 18 dissident MLAs' plea tomorrow

The meeting began at around 11 am after about a two-hour delay at a hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur where Congress legislators supporting the Ashok Gehlot government are camping. The agenda of the meeting is not clear yet, the sources said. However, it is likely that the party will decide on its future strategy as the court's decision on disqualification notice given by the Assembly Speaker C P Joshi is likely to be delivered on Tuesday, they said.

In a first direct allegation of horse-trading against Sachin Pilot, Congress legislator Giriraj Singh Malinga claimed the former deputy chief minister offered him money to change loyalties. The three-time legislator, who represents Bari constituency in Dholpur district, said Pilot made the offer to him more than once, beginning December last year. The MLA said he had informed chief minister Ashok Gehlot soon after that. “I had gone to his (Pilot’s) house when the delimitation of panchayats was going on (last quarter of 2019). It was a one-on-one meeting with him. Sachin ji (Pilot) did offer me money, but I declined and said I will not join BJP even after resigning,” Malinga said. Read more

In the first specific allegation of horse-trading against Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan Congress legislator Giriraj Singh Malinga on Monday accused the sacked deputy CM of twice offering him cash to switch allegiance to BJP.