CM Ashok Gehlot to visit Udaipur Sunday to meet MLAs ahead of Rajya Sabha polls

Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot is likely to visit Udaipur on Sunday to meet his party MLAs and Independents who have been housed in a hotel to protect them from horse-trading ahead of the June 10 Rajya Sabha elections.

He was scheduled to visit Udaipur on Saturday but the visit was postponed.

''He is likely to go to Udaipur and meet the MLAs there on Sunday," a source said.

Former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who had gone to Udaipur along with party candidate Pramod Tiwari and some other MLAs on Friday, had left for Delhi the same evening.

At present, around 90 MLAs, including 11 of the 13 Independents, are present in the hotel in Udaipur.

The Congress has a total of 108 MLAs, including six BSP legislators who had merged with the party. Of the six, only one is present in Udaipur. Some of them have expressed resentment with the Congress and the government, and are staying in Jaipur only.

The Congress has fielded three candidates -- Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Surjewala and Pramod Tiwari, while the BJP has nominated former minister Ghanshyam Tiwari and supported media baron Chandra who has filed nomination as an Independent. Congress leaders claim support of 126 MLAs, including 108 of the party. It requires a total of 123 votes to win three seats. The election on four seats of Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan will take place on June 10.