The Congress is battling the row over ticket distribution for the poll-bound Rajasthan. The party is holding its first Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting of Rajasthan on Wednesday, October 18, in New Delhi.

Party president Mallikarjun Kharge, leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, and others were present in the meeting. The Congress is likely to decide on at least 100 constituencies in the 200-member Assembly.

Apart from Rajasthan, the party will also decide candidates on at least 60 seats of Madhya Pradesh and 42 constituencies of Chhattisgarh. Last week, the Congress announced 144 candidates for the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly and 48 candidates for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly.

So far, the party has not announced any candidate from Rajasthan, hinting at the rift over the ticket distribution. The Congress is eyeing a second term and a reversal of the trend as the state does not let the incumbent return to power.

It will be interesting to see if Pilot will have more say and all his loyalists will be accommodated or if Gehlot will have the final say. Any infighting or rift at this juncture will backfire on the Congress and give an edge to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Congress is bringing all its leaders on board and fighting elections unitedly.

Five states will go to polls in November starting with Mizoram on November 7, Chhattisgarh in two phases on November 7 and 17, Madhya Pradesh on November 17, Rajasthan on November 25 and Telangana on November 30. The result will be declared on December 3.