Cong dilemma: Gehlot at Centre or in State?

The ruling BJP, facing massive anti- incumbency and low popularity ratings of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, gave both a fight and a fright to the Congress, which however managed to bounce back with a simple majority.

Interestingly, both the ruling BJP and the Congress lost considerable percentage of votes because of the third front and the rebels. In fact, seven Congress rebels and five of the BJP cruised through in triangular contests.

However, it is likely that all the seven Congress rebels would pledge support to the party in government formation, apart from two candidates of Ajit Singh’s party, the Rashtrita Lok Dal .The four elected candidates of the Loktantrantik Party are also ready to chip in.

The BJP had been written off by some but the aggressive campaigning of Prime Minister Modi helped the party to muster a respectable tally. The Congress has to now cross the chief ministerial hump with former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot unofficially throwing his hat in the ring. A number of rebels seem to be his loyalists. Pradesh Congress president Sachin Pilot has convened a meeting of the newly elected legislators on Tuesday morning where they are likely to pass a one

line resolution asking Rahul Gandhi to nominate the leader. Both Gehlot and Pilot, who addressed the media conference jointly, posed for photographs and hugged each other. They also said the issue of leadership will be amicably decided at the meeting of the legislators on Tuesday. Rahul has to essentially take a call whether he needs Gehlot at Centre or in the State. No less than a dozen ruling party ministers lost. However, Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, Health Minister Kali Charan Saraf and Panchayat Minister Rajendra Singh Rathore won.