Point in reference -- hours after Rahul Gandhi announced he had quit as the party president at least a month back, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Motilal Vora was named as the interim president.

Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Tuesday said the farmer who committed suicide on Sunday in a Sri Ganganagar village, leaving behind a "farewell video clip", was not under financial debt.

The absence of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on the occasion showed up the growing factionalism within the Rajasthan Congress.

"The biggest reason for the Lok Sabha debacle is that Sachin Pilot was not made the Chief Minister. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot should be held responsible for this defeat. A young face should be made the Chief Minister," the MLA from Todabheem said.

Ashok Gehlot had said Sachin Pilot should bear responsibility for the Congress loss in Jodhpur as he got Vaibhav Gehlot the party ticket from there.

Serious differences in Congress party's Rajasthan unit has come to the fore. This time the Lok Sabha election result seems to be the trigger causing the latest round of friendly exchanges. How long this is going to be a friendly banter is anybody's guess.

Party sources say Rahul Gandhi was instrumental in making Pilot as the state Congress chief in 2014. After the Assembly polls late last year, Pilot was made Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's deputy. With Congress chief himself mulling over his resignation, Pilot's future hangs in the balance, sources said. 

Led by Rahul's sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a host of party leaders met the angry and sulking Congress President at his residence through the day, amid reports that he had conveyed to them that he could at best lead the party in Parliament as the chief of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP).

Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot Wednesday condemned the vandalisation of a bust of social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, saying it is a politically motivated step ahead of elections.

Excise, planning, department of personnel, general administration department, information technology among others are also with Gehlot, according to the orders issued by cabinet secretariat.  

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, who took oath on December 17, returned to the state capital Sunday noon after spending three days in New Delhi for a meeting with President Rahul Gandhi and senior party functionaries.

After stunning victory of Congress in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, chief ministers of the three key states will be sworn in at different ceremonies in their respective states on Monday.

Born on 7 September 1977 in Saharanpur, Sachin Pilot is the son of the late Congress leader Rajesh Pilot and Rama Pilot

"We will meet the governor today and will decide on the details of the oath-taking ceremony," Venugopal said.

Two-time Chief Minister Gehlot will now take the reins of the state for the third time.

The Congress chief had earlier held a series of meetings with CM aspirants in Rajasthan -- Ashok Gehlot and Pilot -- but no consensus emerged between the two and Pilot asserted his right for the top post.

Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, on Thursday congratulated Congress leaders Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia over the party's wins in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh assembly polls.

Sources within the Congress said party president Rahul Gandhi has picked experienced Ashok Gehlot over Sachin Pilot to be Rajasthan CM.

The newly elected MLAs will debate and the final decision on the chief minister will be taken by Rahul Gandhi, Pilot said.

The focus in Rajasthan is now on who would be the Congress choice for chief minister between two-time CM Ashok Gehlot and the party’s state unit president Sachin Pilot.