The political equations are full of new variables in Rajasthan with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expected to succumb to pressure from the Gandhi family to take over as national president of the Congress in place of the ailing Sonia Gandhi, and after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi refused to step in. Interestingly, this possibility presents itself at a time when Rajasthan is more important to the Congress’s overall electoral fortunes than it has ever before been in the party’s history.
Arc of Ashok Gehlot’s career
Mr. Gehlot, 71 years old and Chief Minister of Rajasthan for the third time, is regarded as a sharp political mind. Each of three times (1998, 2008 and 2018) he managed to manoeuvre himself into the Chief Minister’s chair, it was against strong opponents. He was para-dropped into the Chief Minister’s post by the central leadership of the Congress at the age of 47 in 1998 against the advice of the State’s leaders, who were batting for Parasram Maderna. In 2008, C.P. Joshi was slated to occupy the chair, but lost his own seat by a single vote, giving Mr. Gehlot the clear path to return. Similarly, after the 2018 Assembly elections, the then State Congress chief, Sachin Pilot, had been credited with pulling the party out of a rut and was thus widely expected to take the reins — but once again Mr. Gehlot stole the march, pleading with the ‘high command’ that it was his very last innings.
