Gehlot Loyalist, Possible Rajasthan CM Face: Who's Shanti Kumar Dhariwal?

Dhariwal has been the right-hand man of Ashok Gehlot ever since the latter formed his 1st state government in 1998.

Shanti Kumar Dhariwal. 

(Photo: Chetan Bhakuni/The Quint)

The culmination of the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan rests in the hands of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. However, no matter what decision she takes, the future of the state government is uncertain, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) watching silently on the wings with its 70 MLAs in the 200-member Assembly.

The pro-Ashok Gehlot camp, numbering around 90 legislators, has opposed the elevation of Sachin Pilot as the chief minister of Rajasthan, and resigned in protest against the Tonk MLA.

They have demanded that either Gehlot should be allowed to remain the CM or somebody from their camp should step up to the post if Gehlot contests the Congress presidential election in October.

One of the most prominent faces that has come forth as a possible candidate for the post of CM is Shanti Kumar Dhariwal, who has, in several ways, held the fort amid the rebellion and even gone to the extent of opposing the party's high command.

When the rebellion began on Sunday, the Congress' top brass had sent two observers, Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge, to speak to the rebel MLAs and tide over the crisis.

However, the MLAs did not attend the meet and shifted en mass to the residence of Dhariwal. Later, they submitted their resignation to Speaker CP Joshi.

Who Is Shanti Kumar Dhariwal?

Dhariwal, a 78-year-old MLA from Kota North, has been a staunch supporter of CM Gehlot for over two decades.

He has always been considered the chief minister's right-hand man and the second-in-command to keep the flock together in the three governments Gehlot has formed in Rajasthan.

Dhariwal became an MP for the first time in 1984, and an MLA in the Rajasthan Assembly in 1998, which was also the year in which Gehlot formed his first government as Rajasthan CM.

In the current state government, he holds the portfolios of Urban Development and Housing, Parliamentary Affairs, Local Self Government, Law and Legal Affairs, Legal Consultancy Office, and Elections.

In previous Gehlot-led governments as well, Dhariwal has held a number of key positions, including that of the state's home minister.

He is considered to be a prominent leader for the Congress Party in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan, which is otherwise considered to be a stronghold of the BJP. His father, Rikhabchand Dhariwal, was also a prominent Congressman.

A three-time MLA from Kota, Dhariwal is one of the most outspoken legislators in the Rajasthan Assembly and among the most trusted advisors of CM Gehlot.

He has also tabled several bills in the Vidhan Sabha on behalf of the state government.

Not the 1st Time Dhariwal Has Come to Gehlot's Aid

This is not the first time Dhariwal has come to the aid of CM Gehlot in a dire situation. In 2020, when Gehlot's then deputy Sachin Pilot rebelled against the party with around two dozen of his supporters, Dhariwal was in the foremost echelons fencing off Pilot's attacks.

Finally, after 35 days of the rebellion, not only was Pilot unsuccessful in his rebellion, but he also ended up losing the post of deputy CM.

This time, too, the Kota North MLA went all-out in his criticism of Pilot, saying, "MLAs will not sit through and tolerate it (if) traitors (are) being rewarded."

Dhariwal also went as far as opposing AICC observer Ajay Maken, and in extension the Congress high command.

When three rebelling MLAs, namely Dhariwal, Pratap Khachariyawas, and Mahesh Joshi, met Maken and Kharge, they placed three demands before them, which the observers said would be difficult for them to accept.

Maken had also slammed the rebelling MLAs for "indiscipline" after they refused to meet him and Kharge and hold discussions individually.

Taking the bull by its horns, Dhariwal said that if a general secretary of the Congress is on a mission to make people like Pilot the state's CM, it makes sense for MLAs to be "angry and disgruntled."

"It was 100 per cent a conspiracy to remove the CM (Gehlot) and general secretary in-charge was a part of it. I am not talking about anyone else, no charge on Kharge, but only the general secretary in-charge," the minister had said while addressing the press.

The direction that political fortunes take in Rajasthan remains uncertain. However, if Dhariwal emerges as a consensus candidate between the high command and the rebels, it would still be advantage Gehlot, as he would have considerable sway over the state government even if he becomes the Congress chief.

The CM has also said that he would not go away from the state "till the last breath of my life."