Ashok Gehlot To Be Rajasthan Chief Minister, Sachin Pilot Gets Deputy’s Post

Two-time chief minister Ashok Gehlot will be chief minister of Rajasthan and Sachin Pilot has accepted the Deputy Chief Minister’s post. An official announcement on the matter has been made.

Rahul Gandhi, who met both Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot at his residence yesterday, made his final decision today. While Ashok Gehlot is backed by the party leadership, Sachin Pilot is popular among the youth. After yesterday’s meetings, sources say Ashok Gehlot has an edge.

Party observer for Rajasthan KC Venugopal said, “Taking decision on CM is not an easy job. The final decision will be taken tomorrow (today, Friday) in a meeting to be held around 10 am.”

To take on Congress heavyweight Sachin Pilot, BJP fields its lone Muslim candidate in Rajasthan

Yoonus Khan is the only Muslim candidate BJP has fielded for the upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan.

HIGHLIGHTS

BJP has changed its choice of candidate against Sachin Pilot at the last minute
Instead of sitting MLA Ajit Singh, BJP has opted for its only Muslim face, Yoonus Khan
Rajasthan is going to polls on December 7, results to be declared on December 11

After the Congress decided to field Rajput leader Manvendra Singh against sitting Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the BJP, has now fielded the party’s Muslim face Yoonus Khan against Congress heavyweight Sachin Pilot from Tonk.

In what clearly has been a last minute change of strategy for the BJP, the party has decided to replace Ajit Singh Mehta, BJP’s sitting MLA from Tonk district, to give the ticket to Yoonus Khan.

Khan is considered a close confidante of Vasundhara Raje and the second in command in the Rajasthan government. He is also the sitting MLA from Deedwana, a constituency from where he wanted to re-contest the upcoming assembly elections.

Mehta was given the ticket in the first list itself, however, with the Congress deciding to field Sachin Pilot from Tonk, the BJP removed him to go for Yoonus Khan from Tonk, a constituency with a sizeable Muslim population.

Khan is the only Muslim candidate BJP has fielded for the upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan. Apart from Mehta, the BJP has also dropped Shankarlal Kharadi’s name who was earlier given a ticket from Kherwara seat.

“The BJP may launch whosoever from here. But the people have decided that they want the Congress to win,” Sachin Pilot said in reaction to the alteration.

Both Pilot and Khan filed their respective nominations from Tonk assembly constituency on Monday.

Earlier, there was much speculation about Gehlot and Pilot contesting the assembly elections in Rajasthan.

It was being said that the senior leadership of the Congress was not in favour of either Sachin Pilot or Ashok Gehlot contesting the upcoming assembly elections. However, the matter was put to rest after it was declared that both will be contesting.

“On the orders of Rahul Gandhi and request of Ashok Gehlot, I have decided to contest the upcoming assembly elections,” Pilot said.

Pilot, while speaking to India Today TV, claimed that BJP deserves to be booted out, claiming that practical, implementable promises will be announced and the Congress will deliver them on the ground.

“I can’t predict numbers but I can tell you that with five years of work and our leaders’ contribution to make the party strong, we will get a historic mandate,” Pilot said in an interview with India Today TV.

Assembly elections in Rajasthan are due on December 7 while the results will be declared on December 11.

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Sachin Pilot Or Ashok Gehlot? Wary Congress Fields Both In Rajasthan Polls

Both Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot will contest the December 7 Rajasthan election, the Congress party has decided as it tackles a much-reported rift between its two top leaders in the state, both chief ministerial aspirants.

“I and Sachin Pilot will both fight the Rajasthan assembly elections,” Ashok Gehlot, a former chief minister, told reporters in Delhi, Sachin Pilot by his side.

Sachin Pilot added: “On Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s instruction and on Gehlotji‘s request, I have decided to contest the assembly elections.”

Who among the two would contest the election has been the subject of much speculation in the run-up to the polls. Both are seen as the Congress’s candidates for chief minister; the party hopes to win back the BJP-ruled state riding on what it sees as anti-incumbency.

“We have said many times that whatever Rahul Gandhi decides on CM (chief minister) and we will abide by that. It’s a tradition for Congress in Rajasthan to not declare CM before elections,” Mr Gehlot told reporters.

The Congress in Rajasthan is deeply divided between factions loyal to Ashok Gehlot, the veteran, and 41-year-old Sachin Pilot, the state Congress chief, representing a younger leadership.

The party was seen to be reluctant to field either of them, if only to avoid the inevitable tussle for the top post if it does win.

The party’s Rajasthan unit advised its leadership to follow the Madhya Pradesh model of not declaring a chief ministerial face; a similar rivalry for the top job is seen between Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

A section in the party believes both should stay out of the contest and focus on campaigning across the state as they are seen as crowd-pullers. Another section feels the two should contest – Ashok Gehlot from his seat Sardarpura and Sachin Pilot from a seat in Ajmer – his old parliamentary constituency – or Dausa, from where his father was an MP.

Sachin Pilot was minister in the Manmohan Singh government but lost the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Ajmer. Earlier this year, he did not contest the by-elections for the seat, which the Congress won by a huge margin.

This morning, the BJP parliamentarian from Dausa, Harish Meena, quit his party and joined the Congress, delivering a blow to the ruling party.

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