Veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot to enter fray in Rajasthan

IN a setback to Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot, party veteran Ashok Gehlot has announced he would contest the December 7 assembly polls.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi with party’s Rajasthan state chief Sachin Pilot and senior leader Ashok Gehlot. | (File | PTI)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi with party’s Rajasthan state chief Sachin Pilot and senior leader Ashok Gehlot. | (File | PTI)

NEW DELHI:  In a setback to Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot, party veteran Ashok Gehlot has announced he would contest the December 7 assembly polls. The announcement raised fresh question marks on the leadership issue in the state.While Pilot, being the state unit chief, was being seen as a natural claimant to the post of chief minister, former chief minister Gehlot clearly hasn’t given up on his political ambitions. 

“The speculation around infighting in the state unit is over. We are entering the fray together. Both Pilotji and myself will contest the polls,” Gehlot said at an AICC briefing on Wednesday.Pilot seconded Gehlot on record, but sources said Sachin was not in favour of Ashok contesting the polls as he believed it would add fuel to the ongoing power struggle between the two leaders.

Sachin Pilot has worked hard to
revive the Congress in Rajasthan.

“I and Gehlotji will fight the elections and together we will bring Congress back to power,” Pilot said, adding he received support of all the senior leaders in strengthening the state unit.Old timers said the tussle started when Sachin was sent to revive the party by Rahul Gandhi, then Congress vice president, in 2014, after the party could win just 21 of the 200 seats in the 2013 assembly polls under Gehlot as chief minister. In 2014, the party lost all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Party insiders acknowledged that over the last five years, Pilot has worked hard to revamp the state unit winning several bypolls and local body polls, including the crucial Alwar and Ajmer Lok Sabha bylections, taking on chief minister Vasundhara Raje.Gehlot, too, remained politically active in the state using his considerable influence over party organisation.After Rahul became party chief in December 2017, he moved Gehlot to national politics, making him AICC general secretary, organisation.

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