Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot to contest Rajasthan assembly elections

JAIPUR: Putting speculations to rest, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot on Wednesday announced that they will contest the assembly elections scheduled on December 7. Both are considered as party’s chief ministerial candidates.
In Madhya Pradesh, the party has so far not named Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia—both CM hopefuls—as its candidates for the assembly polls there.This led to speculation that Gehlot and Pilot too might not be fielded in the assembly elections.
“Sachin Pilot and I, both, shall contest in these elections,” Gehlot told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday. Pilot added, “I shall contest the election as directed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and requested by Gehlot.”
The party is, however, yet to announce from where the two leaders will contest the polls. Gehlot is presently MLA from Jodhpur’s Sardarpura constituency and is likely to be repeated from there.
Pilot, who has never contested an assembly election before but has been the party’s Lok Sabha MP from Ajmer, might contest from the same district. In Ajmer, Kekri and Masuda are being seen as the likely assembly constituencies for Pilot. He may, however, be fielded from one of the constituencies in Bhilwara, Karauli and Dausa districts also.
BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Dausa Harish Meena joined Congress in the presence of Gehlot, Pilot, AICC general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Avinash Pande on Wednesday. Meena too might be the Congress candidate from one of the seats in Dausa district, which is dominated by Meenas and Gujjars. Pilot belongs to the Gujjar community.
BJP MLA from Nagaur, Habib Ur Rehman, who has been denied ticket in this election, too shall be joining Congress on Wednesday. This is likely to consolidate Muslim votes in favour of Congress, which has not named a single candidate from the community in the state elections so far. Muslims have good presence in Ajmer, Dausa, Bhilwara and Karauli districts.