Jaipur, December 12: A spree of Congress rebels, who parted ways with the party on being denied ticket in the Rajasthan assembly elections, have thrown weight behind Ashok Gehlot to take charge as next Chief Minister. The dissidents are averse to the possibility of Sachin Pilot leading the next government, claiming that the Congress would then face "consequences" in Lok Sabha polls next year.

A slew of rebel leaders met Gehlot at his residence in Civil Lines on Wednesday, congratulating him on the ouster of the BJP government. Two Independent MLAs Ramkesh Meena and Kanti Lal Meena -- who won despite being denied ticket by the Congress -- hinted their way back into the party if Gehlot is appointed the CM. BSP MLA From Udaypurwati Backs Sachin Pilot as Chief Minister

Pilot, the state unit chief of Congress, had decided to chalk off the candidatures of Ramkesh and Kanti Lal despite their winnability credentials.

Ramkesh, who is elected from Ganganagar constituency, said only Gehlot could prove to be an all-inclusive Chief Minister. "Gehlot is present among the people. He is everyone's leader and he should be the next CM," he told reporters.

He further claimed that the Congress would not be able to repeat a similar success in Lok Sabha elections if Gehlot is not appointed the Chief Minister.

Similar views were reiterated by Kanti Lal, who said there is no better person than Gehlot to lead the charge.

Apart from the rebels, nearly half-a-dozen Congress MLAs also met Gehlot and publicly expressed their support for his bid to be the next CM. The legislators who met Gehlot today are Manju Meghwal, Laxman Meena, Vinod Kumar Lilawat, Shanti Dhariwal, Manju Panwar and Ameen Kagzi.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) had called a meeting of all newly elected MLAs today to decide on who should be the next CM. While the meeting is still underway, the CLP is expected to pass a one-line resolution, asking party president Rahul Gandhi to take the final decision.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 12, 2018 05:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).