The reinstatement of six expelled leaders in the Congress’s Rajasthan unit has stirred up political activity in the Opposition party, with the rival factions making an attempt to influence the decision-making process. The return of these leaders has also displayed a careful balancing by the party’s leadership, reflecting the efforts to maintain unity in the rank and file.
The reinstated leaders include former three-time Barmer MLA Mewaram Jain, suspended over an obscene video and a gang-rape case, and five others expelled on the charges of disobedience, involvement in anti-party activities and indulging in acts that allegedly contributed to the Congress’s defeat in the 2023 State Assembly election.
AICC in-charge of Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa sent a letter to Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra last week cancelling the previous expulsion of Mr. Jain, Balendu Singh Shekhawat, Sandeep Sharma, Balram Yadav, Arvind Damor, and Tejpal Mirdha. The PCC headquarters followed up with the formal orders restoring their party membership.
According to the sources in the PCC, the party’s high command has sought to placate multiple factions within the organisation with the move, as Mr. Jain and a few others are closely associated with former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, while Mr. Mirdha is perceived to be close to former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot.
Mr. Jain, who won three consecutive Assembly elections since 2008, was embroiled in a rape case filed by a married woman in Jodhpur two years ago. The PCC chief suspended him in January 2024 after his obscene videos were circulated online, but a special court let him off in July 2024 after accepting the police’s final report.
Mr. Jain’s return to the party’s fold sparked protests in Barmer, Baytu, and Balotra, where hoardings allegedly displaying his obscene images appeared on the roads. The Balotra District Congress Committee clarified that it was done by unknown elements intending to defame the party.
Veteran Congress leader Mr. Gehlot told journalists in Udaipur on September 27 that the former MLA was reinstated on the recommendation of the PCC’s Disciplinary Committee, while complying with the “due process”. Mr. Jain has claimed after rejoining the party that his opponents could not tolerate his “political resurgence”.
The return of Mr. Mirdha, who is a cousin of Bharatiya Janata Party State vice-president Jyoti Mirdha, is expected to strengthen the Congress in Nagaur, where it has been weakened with the emergence of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP). He had contested the 2023 Assembly election from Khinvsar against RLP president Hanuman Beniwal, who was in an alliance with the Congress.
The reinstatement of Mr. Shekhawat – son of former Assembly Speaker Deependra Singh Shekhawat – is likely to strengthen the Pilot faction, as his supporters had approached Mr. Randhawa highlighting his family’s track record of service to Congress. He was expelled before the 2024 Lok Sabha election on a complaint made by Mr. Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot, who contested the polls from Jalore.
Published – September 30, 2025 01:50 am IST
