JAIPUR: Despite CM Ashok Gehlot’s implementation of several welfare schemes, the Congress in Rajasthan has faced a massive defeat. Factionalism and faulty ticket distribution issues have been the reason for the electoral setback.
Gehlot’s ambitious initiatives, such as the Chiranjeevi Health Insurance, Pension Scheme, Annapurna Food Packet and the proclamation of seven electoral guarantees, initially appeared to counter the rising BJP wave. However, these efforts proved insufficient as the organisational prowess of the BJP made the Congress structure look weak.
Despite the absence of a pronounced anti-incumbency wave against the Gehlot government, the Congress’s electoral downfall is primarily attributed to the contentious ticket distribution strategy. In defiance of suggestions from party surveys, Gehlot and Sachin Pilot allocated tickets to their loyalists, a move that was widely rejected by the public. The prolonged power struggle between Gehlot and Pilot over the CM’s post, for five years, eroded public trust.