Sachin Pilot's recent comments have been seen as veiled criticism of Ashok Gehlot.

Responding to speculation that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is keen to appoint more deputies, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said the state can have five of them as long as the law and order improves.

"If the law and order situation in the state can improve and the farm loan waiver can happen, then why only two? The state should have five deputy chief ministers," Mr Pilot said when asked about Mr Gehlot's plan appoint more deputy chief ministers.

"As a government, we ought to focus on delivering on the promises we made to the people of Rajasthan, and make that a priority, as we are accountable to the electorate," he said.

Mr Pilot, however, added that he was unaware of any such plan

Mr Pilot's comments have been seen as veiled criticism of the Chief Minister.

There have been reports that Mr Gehlot could appoint two more Deputy Chief Ministers for balancing the caste arithmetic but there is no official word on this from the government.

In the last year of his first tenure as chief minister, Mr Gehlot had two deputy chief ministers -- Kamla Beniwal from the influential Jat community and Banwarilal Bairwa from the Scheduled Caste.

There is some speculation that the Congress government could appoint a Jat leader as deputy chief minister ahead of the upcoming local bodies' elections to counter the appointment of Satish Poonia as the state BJP president.