Ashok Gehlot on the path of Ekla Chalo in Rajasthan

Now only two months are left for the Rajasthan Assembly elections. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has entered the election field on the path of going alone. He has taken command of the entire election in his hands and has started preparing the election strategy. Chief Minister Gehlot has completely removed his rival Sachin Pilot from his election strategy. Sachin Pilot has not been given the command of any committee of the Congress Party formed for the elections. He has been included in the election committees only as a member. Most of his supporters have also been kept away from the election committees. By keeping Sachin Pilot away from election committees, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has shown that he is the only leader of Rajasthan. The elections will be fought under his leadership. He will also be involved in the distribution of Congress tickets. Only his supporters will get tickets.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had recently constituted eight election committees including Core Committee, Coordination Committee, Election Campaigning Committee, Manifesto Committee, Strategy Committee, Media and Communication Committee, Publicity and Publication Committee and Protocol Committee for the elections in Rajasthan. Being a member of the Congress Working Committee, Sachin Pilot has been included in these committees. But his supporters have not been able to get special attention. State in-charge of Congress Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has been made the convenor of the most important core committee in the elections.

This committee includes Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, State Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra, Congress Working Committee member Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, Sachin Pilot, Punjab in-charge Harish Chaudhary, Mahendrajit Malviya, Mohan Prakash, Assembly Speaker CP Joshi, Cabinet Minister Govind Ram Meghwal. Has been done Except Pilot, all other Gehlot supporters have been included in this committee. The core committee plays an important role in taking important decisions during assembly elections. Due to lack of any pilot support, the pilots are left alone.

Similarly, a total of 26 people have been included in the second most important Coordination Committee. In which all former Congress presidents including Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former leaders of the Legislature Party, members of the Congress Working Committee have been included. Many ministers and prominent leaders have also been given place in it. Cabinet Minister Shanti Dhariwal has also been included in this committee. Who had boycotted the Congress Legislature Party meeting called by Congress observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken on September 25 last year. Dhariwal was also given a show cause notice by the Congress Disciplinary Committee on that incident. On which no decision has been taken yet. Even after that, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has included his closest minister Shanti Dhariwal in the said important committee and has made it clear that only what Gehlot wants will happen in Congress.

Cabinet Minister Govind Ram Meghwal has been made the Chairman of the Campaigning Committee. Meghwal is considered a staunch supporter of Gehlot in Bikaner division. In the past, he has been a BJP MLA and Parliamentary Secretary. He had contested the 2013 and 2018 assembly elections on Congress ticket, losing in 2013. Before becoming a minister, he was also made the vice president of the state Congress. Earlier there was talk of making Sachin Pilot the chairman of the election monitoring committee. But Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot cleared the pilot by putting forward the name of Dalit leader Govindram Meghwal.

Assembly Speaker Dr CP Joshi has been made the chairman of the Manifesto Committee. 21 members have been included in this committee. Being a member of the Congress Working Committee, Sachin Pilot has been made a member of this committee as an ex-office member. Harish Chaudhary, in-charge of Punjab and Jat leader from Barmer, has been made the chairman of the Strategic Committee. A total of 26 people have been included in this committee. Cabinet Minister Mamta Bhupesh has been made the Chairman of the Media and Communication Committee. 22 people have been included in this committee.

Minister of State Murarilal Meena has been made the chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee. 21 people have been included in this committee. Murarilal Meena is counted among the staunch supporters of Pilot. Murarilal Meena, who comes from Dausa district, is an influential leader of the society and speaks vocally in support of the pilot. Cabinet Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya has been made the Chairman of the Protocol Committee. This committee includes 21 members. Kota’s Sangod MLA and former minister Bharatsingh Pramod Jain often writes letters to the Chief Minister regarding Bhaya’s corruption. Despite Bharat Singh’s opposition, Gehlot has silenced Bharat Singh by making Pramod Jain Bhaya the chairman of the committee.

Looking at the election committees formed recently, it is clear that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has included people close to his beliefs in all the committees. Except Murarilal Meena, leaders of Gehlot’s choice have been made chairpersons of all the other committees. Chief Minister Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot has also been made a member of the campaigning committee. Recently, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a big farmers’ conference in Bhilwara. But Sachin Pilot was absent there also. Sachin Pilot, who had adopted a rebellious stance till a few months ago, was convinced by the Congress high command to remain silent till the elections by making him a member of the Congress Working Committee. But in Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot is not ready to accept Sachin Pilot under any circumstances. Wherever he gets a chance, he hurts the pilot.

On the persuasion of the Congress high command, Sachin Pilot also started the public movement after taking out a padyatra for five days from Ajmer to Jaipur in favor of the youth regarding the corruption prevalent in the Rajasthan Public Service Commission, scam in teacher recruitment and paper leak issue. Had finished. But from the current political scenario it seems that Pilot is not going to get any important role in Rajasthan Congress.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is called the magician of politics. No one knows when he will turn the tables. When the Congress high command had announced his name for the Congress President, he suddenly ruined Sachin Pilot’s plans by instigating a revolt among the MLAs. Disobeying the instructions of the Congress high command, he considered it better to remain the Chief Minister instead of the Congress President. The way Chief Minister Gehlot is working hard now. It seems that if Congress government is formed again in Rajasthan then it is certain that he will become the Chief Minister.

Ramesh Saraf Dhamora

(The author is a freelance journalist accredited by the Government of Rajasthan. His articles continue to be published in many newspapers of the country.)