Rajasthan Congress leader Ashok Gehlot meets student hunger striker as party rift resurfaces

Former Rajasthan chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot visited Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur to see student leader Shubham Rewar, who was on his 15th day of a hunger strike demanding the holding of student union elections in the state. Gehlot urged Rewar to end the fast, criticised the BJP government for delaying the elections, and highlighted the importance of campus politics for future leaders.

At the same time, the Rajasthan Congress is grappling with an internal power struggle. Senior leader Shanti Dhariwal referred to Gehlot as the party’s “high command,” prompting debate over whether the state party is controlled from Delhi or by Gehlot’s network. The dispute was evident in a recent meeting in Jaipur where members aired grievances about internal conspiracies ahead of upcoming panchayat and urban local body elections, underscoring factional tensions within the party.