It appears that the enfant terrible would be accommodated in the Congress’s fold in Rajasthan. Sachin Pilot, who had raised the banner of rebellion briefly against Ashok Gehlot’s government, may have resigned himself to a quiet return to the party but the question is whether he would be willing to don the garb of the proverbial prodigal son. The word is Mr Pilot’s ghar wapsi is an act of political pragmatism. The possibility of Mr Gehlot’s government surviving a test of numbers may have unnerved some of the ‘rebels’ who had sided with Mr Pilot: one of the principal dissenters is reported to have pledged his support and that of five other MLAs for Mr Gehlot. The developments have undoubtedly strengthened the grip of Mr Gehlot who demonstrated political spine and wisdom to neutralize a threat to his government. Would Mr Pilot be content to remain in the shadow of the chief minister?

The answer is critical to the future of the Congress as a political force. Schisms and petty rivalries have been the bane of the Congress, enabling an ambitious, aggressive Bharatiya Janata Party to repeatedly engineer defections within the party and topple elected governments. Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka are two recent examples. The Congress may have managed to cling on to power in Rajasthan but it needs to find a way to douse internal flames not only for its political survival but also to retain its credibility as a viable alternative to the BJP. There is also an urgent need to fill the leadership vacuum in the party to energize its cadre and, possibly, adopt strategies to contain the erosion. The BJP, having bagged Jyotiraditya Scindia and, with him, the throne in Madhya Pradesh, would be disappointed with the outcome in Rajasthan. ‘Operation Lotus’, evidently, does not bloom on every kind of political turf. Does Vasundhara Raje’s inertia also mean that the BJP is not without its own enfants terribles?