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Jaipur/ New Delhi: The Congress in Rajasthan is on the brink as rebel leader Sachin Pilot was sacked as Deputy Chief Minister and removed as state party chief after he skipped a second meeting of MLAs today. Two ministers who have joined him in his revolt have also been dropped. Sachin Pilot was "ensnared" by the BJP to bring down the Congress government in Rajasthan, said the party. Sachin Pilot, whose demands reportedly included Chief Ministership, had been asked to attend the meeting before the leadership could open discussions with him. But he rejected all overtures and his exit from the Congress is inevitable.

Here is your ten-point cheat sheet on this big story:

    "The Congress Legislative Party meeting is being conducted again and again to send messages to Sachin Pilot that still there’s time for him to come. The party’s top leadership still has flexibility for him. A decision will be taken after today’s meeting over further course of action," news agency ANI quoted sources as saying.

    Mr Gehlot’s numbers have been eroded by his deputy’s revolt. The Chief Minister had invited all 107 Congress MLAs and 15 others - independents and allies. Party leaders said 106 of these 122 MLAs attended. However, the Chief Minister’s numbers may be barely above the majority mark of 101 in the 200-member assembly.

    In the 200-member assembly, the Congress had 107 MLAs and the support of 13 independents and five from smaller parties. That number has now come down to 90 Congress MLAs, seven independent members and five from smaller parties - 101.

    A 10-second video shared last night on Sachin Pilot’s official group showed 16 MLAs sitting together in a circle. Mr Pilot was not seen in the video tweeted by Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh with the caption "Family". Sources close to the rebel leader say at least 20 MLAs are with him - 17 Congress and three independent legislators. Two of the Congress MLAs backing him are Rajasthan ministers.

    Mr Gehlot sent 100-odd MLAs in buses to a resort straight from his home yesterday, betraying his worry that the threat to his government from Mr Pilot may not be over.

    One ally, Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP), which has two MLAs in the Rajasthan assembly, withdrew support from the Congress and asked its members to stay neutral and not align either with Mr Gehlot or Mr Pilot. But there were indications that the MLAs were inclined towards joining the Congress.

    The Congress had said it hoped "both the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister" would attend the second meeting. "We request Sachin Pilot and all other MLAs to come... Doors are open for Sachin Pilot and other MLAs. They will be heard and solutions found. This is the discipline of the party," said Randeep Surjewala, who is in Jaipur on deputation from Delhi to manage the crisis. Rajasthan Congress in-charge Avinash Pandey had called it a "second chance to Sachin Pilot".

    After Mr Pilot skipped the first meeting of legislators on Monday morning, a resolution by MLAs called for "strict disciplinary action" against anyone who did anything to weaken the government or the party.

    Mr Pilot has denied that he is headed to the BJP though Congress sources assert he is in touch with the party. The Congress believes it is safe for now but that won’t last if the BJP actively tries to pull down its government with help from the sulking Rajasthan Congress chief, following the Madhya Pradesh playbook. The BJP, which has 73 MLAs, needs the support of another 35 to take power in Rajasthan.

    The feud between the Congress’s top two in Rajasthan peaked when Mr Pilot was asked to answer questions in an investigation into an alleged attempt to destabilise the state government ahead of last month’s Rajya Sabha elections. Chief Minister Gehlot said he too had received it, but Mr Pilot’s aides pointed out that as state home minister in charge of the Special Operations Group, Mr Gehlot had practically given himself the summons.