Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader Sachin Pilot and Sara Abdullah are now legally separated, after nearly two decades of marriage. The election affidavit filed by Pilot for the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly polls confirmed the divorce of the couple.

Sachin Pilot filed his nomination from Tonk Assembly seat on Tuesday and his poll affidavit mentioned ‘divorced’ in the column meant for spouse details.

This is the first time that the divorce of Sachin Pilot and Sara Abdullah is confirmed. Though there were speculations over the separation of the couple, both of them never commented publicly on the matter.

Sachin Pilot and Sara Abdullah, daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah tied the knot in 2004. The couple has two sons, Aaran and Vehaan.

The Congress leader mentioned both his sons as ‘dependents’ in the election affidavit.

The affidavit also revealed a substantial increase in Pilot’s wealth over the past five years. In 2018, his total assets were valued at approximately ₹3.8 crore, which nearly doubled to ₹7.5 crore by 2023, as per the latest affidavit.

Pilot won with a significant margin of over 54,000 votes from the Tonk seat against the BJP’s Yoonus Khan in the 2018 Assembly elections.

Prior to filing his nomination papers on Tuesday, the Congress leader visited the Bhuteshwar Mahadev temple to offer prayers. Following this, he led a procession with his supporters from Bada Kuan to Patel Chowk in Tonk City, demonstrating his strong backing in the region.

According to reports, both Sachin Pilot and Sara Abdullah faced resistance from their families when they decided to get married. Initially, both families were reluctant to accept their relationship. However, Pilot’s family eventually agreed to the marriage, and later, Sara’s family also changed their minds and supported the union.

Sara is reportedly employed in the NGO sector in Delhi. She spent her childhood in Kashmir until the age of 12, but was sent to England due to the increasing unrest in the valley.

The upcoming Rajasthan Assembly elections are scheduled for November 25 while the results will be announced on December 3.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)