Sachin Pilot's aspirations are clear, how he may achieve them is not

Sachin Pilot’s chief ministerial aspirations have been clear ever since the Congress came to power in Rajasthan in 2018. The question was how he would achieve his goals. The former Rajasthan Deputy CM has rebelled against his party but has not officially quit. 

Pilot seems to have left with three options - continue with the Congress, join the BJP, or float his own party. However, all the three choices are fraught with difficulties whether Pilot continues to remain in the Congress not just depends on him but also on the party’s old guard.  

So far, his demands have not been met creating a fiasco in Rajasthan. Pilot can follow the footsteps of his former colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia and join the BJP but the former Rajasthan CM and veteran BJP leader Vasundhara Raje is likely to oppose his membership and she has strong reasons to do so. Pilot’s ambitions can pose a threat to Raje who is eyeing a comeback in the 2023 state election. 

Finally option number three - the Congress leader can form his own party. Pilot is in his early 40s which is a relatively young age for politics so he can devote time to establish a party but does he have enough clout or patience to do so? 

Several factors benefitted Arvind Kejriwal’s newly-formed AAP when it contested the Delhi elections for the first time in 2013. There was a strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the ruling Congress and the BJP had not been in power in Delhi for over a decade. Eventually, no party was able to get a majority. AAP which came a narrow second to the BJP was able to form a government with outside support from the Congress. 

Rajasthan has been alternating between the Congress and BJP in every other election. It will be difficult for a newly-formed party to get a majority on its own in Rajasthan where the Congress and BJP have strongholds while entering a coalition will be difficult too.

Pilot if at all, forms his own party, it will most likely not form an alliance with the Congress and the Raje-led BJP may not accept his support and even if it does, Pilot may still be left fighting for what he wants- the CM post.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)