Gehlot’s diminishing influence may affect son’s LS prospects

Congress veteran and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s importance in the party has diminished to the extent that it might affect his son’s prospects in the Lok Sabha elections. His son Vaibhav is fighting the Lok Sabha elections from the Jalore seat in Rajasthan. Ashok Gehlot was seeking an appointment with party president Mallikarjun Kharge during Congress’ talks for an alliance with Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party in Rajasthan. A person privy to the developments said, “Gehlot wanted to meet Kharge in order to suggest to him to confirm the alliance with Hanuman Beniwal, a Jat leader, by giving him two LS seats.

This may have ensured that Jat voters would consolidate in favour of Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot and help him win his seat. But he didn’t get an appointment to meet Kharge and met Ajay Maken instead. It’s unlikely that Maken gave him any assurance regarding this.” According to Congress leaders, this has put a question mark on his importance in the party even after being a three-time Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Apart from his current role as National Alliance Committee (NAC) member, Gehlot, say sources, is facing disengagement from the AICC leadership as well as the top leadership of the party’s Rajasthan unit. A Rajasthan-based political analyst said, “Gehlot may have thought that around 5% Jats would support his son in Jalore if there was an alliance with Beniwal..”

A political observer in the state said, “Congress has its cadre intact in Rajasthan. By giving Beniwal two seats, Congress would lose ground on these seats where the party has several Assembly constituencies. Since they have a cadre there, why would they go for an alliance which will eventually hurt the Congress in the state? Moreover the state leadership does not want the alliance and there is a possibility that further talks would not materialise.”

Gehlot is also no longer welcome in any decision-making in the state, which is now being done by AICC general secretary Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and state president Govind Singh Dotasra. A leader said, “Gehlot and the state leadership do not get along well. There has been some bickering between them.” Sources say that the Congress is, for the first time since 1998, trying to look beyond Gehlot and is planning to establish a leadership that will be connected with the high command and will not replicate the incident where Gehlot did not follow the instructions of the Congress central leadership in 2022.

A senior political observer said, “It is not just in Rajasthan, this is happening in Madhya Pradesh as well, where Kamal Nath is losing his political sheen. The high command seems to be sidelining the old guard or at least put the party’s interests above individual interests. Bhupesh Baghel too seems to be losing importance in Chhattisgarh.”