GEHLOT HAD DECISIVE SAY IN CONG TICKET DISTRIBUTION: Dr CHANDRA

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Bharat24-Vision of New India and CMD and Editor-in-Chief, First India News and First India, reveals how before Congress went to the ‘battle ground,’ there was an internal squabble between leaders to come out on top, how Gehot wishes to form government yet again, how all but one survey claim that BJP will return, how Gehlot gave ticket to Dhariwal but could not get tickets for Dr Mahesh Joshi and Dharmendra Rathore. Interestingly, terming that Gehlot’s intelligence and surveillance would have been close associate of Amit Shah, Dr Chandra stressed that if Gehlot would have been in BJP, he would have been a major part of Modi-Shah team. Excerpts... (Part-I)

• Will Gehlot form his government in Rajasthan once again and fulfil his wishes of becoming CM for the fourth time?
  Dr Jagdeesh Chandra: Today Will Gehlot form government and become CM for the fourth time is a question, whose answer will be known only on December 3, but it is certain that, as of this moment, Gehlot is totally confident that he will form the government. It is his analysis that as of now, Congress has around 82 seats & within the next week or ten days, the situation will change, such is their claim, and that the Congress will touch the 100 seats required. But the betting market and the surveys are terming it to be BJP’s victory. Phalaudi betting market is claiming that it would be 120-130 seats in favour of BJP and Congress would be around 65-70 seats. Apart from that ABP, India Today and other similar institutions have done surveys, which say that BJP would get anywhere between 115- 125 seats and Congress would be between 62 to 85. Gehlot’s analysis is also on the same lines. There is only one survey in the nation that has claimed that Congress would get around 110 seats and BJP would get about 82 seats and that institution claims that it had done survey in Karnataka and said that Congress would get 135 seats which proved to be true. They had said Congress would get 45 seats in Himachal and Congress got 40 seats. Hence, they are hopeful that Congress government will be formed in Rajasthan. But the majority of surveys hint at BJP government. But perhaps the most important parameter of this election and if Gehlot will form government again is if this election is being fought on the face of sitting legislators or on Ashok Gehlot’s face. If it is being contested in the face of MLAs, then anything can happen and Congress can get stuck at 40 odd seats too. The reason for this is that there is immense anger and disgruntlement against MLAs because there are complaints of interference in transfers of Patwaris, Collectors, SHOs and SPs, interference in routine administration, corruption complaints and thus it is being said that during this government, legislators had been behaving like regional CMs and even CM himself was compelled and although he too accepted that it was not right, but what could be done, it was his political compulsion. There were two problems. Firstly, he had to keep the flock together so that they do not shift to the Pilot camp and secondly, he had to send money to AICC as well like any other CM for any other party. Due to both the reasons, the administration was hit in the field. In fact, Gehlot’s own slogan of good governance was hit and I can bet on it that when he would sit at night and mull on things, he must feel sad on the situation. So let’s see what happens in the days to come.
• Why does Sonia Gandhi have so much trust on Ashok Gehlot? Why did she give complete free hand to him in ticket distribution?
  The trust is there because of an emotional bond since the time of Rajiv Gandhi as she considers him like family. Truth be told, the trust Sonia Gandhi has on Gehlot is more than she has on Rahul and Priyanka, the situation says so. Look at the developments on September 25, all his crimes were forgiven. It happened in Jaipur and in a way, we can say that it was a rebellion of sorts when High Command’s orders were not followed. When Maken left Gehlot’s residence, he had to call up Sonia Gandhi and apologise for being unable to get the state unit to follow High Command’s directive. He merely had to take a oneline proposal that the state unit gives all rights to the High Command on selection of new Chief Minister i.e. Pilot’s christening. But that couldn’t happen and look at the time since then, Ashok Gehlot is secured at his place. He apologised and everything ended. So, Gehlot and Sonia’s relation is beyond decoding and perhaps that is why some people say that there may be a secret understanding between the two that if push comes to shove, she will always stand behind Gehlot.
• Among his three trusted lieutenants, why could Gehlot get ticket only for Dhariwal and not the other two as well i.e. Mahesh Joshi and Dharmendra Rathore? Do you think Gehlot did not use his veto for both of them?
  See, veto is not used for everyone. Veto itself means for one and for the remaining individuals recommendations can be made. There is word in political circles that since Dhariwal’s candidature was kind of like prestige point for Gehlot, there may have been some deal of-sorts that has been made. But Gehlot established his credibility by getting a ticket for Dhariwal and gave message that he is the ‘Boss.’ Dhariwal’s situation is different from these two. The Screening Committee had recommended giving ticket to Dhariwal at the initial stage, but Dhariwal was not ready to contest. He wanted that ticket be given to his son, but Gogoi said that ticket will not be given to sons or relatives, although at a later stage they did give. After this, the Screening committee meeting happened and perhaps some individuals, may be from Pilot camp, complained to Sonia Gandhi that Dhariwal’s ticket has not been cut. So just as the candidature was discussed, Sonia asked if ‘he is the same man’. Then after multiple sessions and deliberations, Gehlot came out to be the ultimate winner and Dhariwal was given ticket. As far as the remaining two are concerned, they are Gehlot’s trusted lieutenants and were there in the September 25 rebellion, but this time around, Gehlot could see through Dhariwal only and not the other two.
• So what is Mahesh Joshi and Dharmendra Rathore’s future in Congress because there was word that Joshi could join BJP also?
  Discussion was held on Joshi joining BJP, but it was not to be, perhaps over some conditions that he may have had. See, Joshi is a loyalist individual. He is loyal to Gehlot, is a calm and collected person and takes everyone along. This time around, some situations arose and cases happened that the matter went out of hand. And the three men, Dhariwal, Joshi and Rathore, who were considered accused of rebellion, one of them, Dhariwal, was let go and these two were not. But now I do not think that he will be heading to BJP since its too late now. So what next then? If Gehlot comes back to power, then he would be rehabilitated. As far as Dharmendra Rathore is concerned, it does not matter to him, if he has not been fielded since he is Gehlot’s ‘Hanuman’ and when Gehlot comes to power, Rathore always shines. He is Gehlot loyalist and is executioner for him. So, I see their rise with Gehlot’s rise.
• Questions were raised on Assembly Speaker Dr CP Joshi during the rebellion. What is your take on it?
  It was not during the rebellion but during the discussions on ticket distribution when question was raised on fielding Dhariwal, Joshi and Rathore. During that time, some individuals made themselves heard before the High Command, albeit in a hushed manner, that these three were identified but there was a fourth individual also. When the High Command enquired, it was told that the strategy to give resignations, as part of rebellion, was forged at Dr CP Joshi’s residence and when they could not understand what could be done, they approached CP Joshi and it was him who showed them the way forward. This was the complaint that was made before the High Command. However, CP Joshi’s image is a credible image and he has his own individuality before the High Command. It is believed that he is a powerful speaker that he wouldn’t have done so. Thus, Joshi received the benefit of doubt. Interestingly, Gehlot has even announced that Joshi is his natural ally & if he becomes CM the next time, he will make CP the Assembly Speaker yet again.
• It is said that Rahul and his team had decided on cutting 50 percent tickets of sitting MLAs, but it did not happen. How did Gehlot get Sonia to overturn this decision of Rahul’s?
  It is true that a decision was made based on surveys that ticket of half of sitting legislators would be cut. In the beginning, the party was of the thought that since there were several complaints against the legislators and there was immense anti-incumbency against MLAs, thus, they should not be fielded. Therefore, half the tickets were to be cut. Hence out of 113, half of the tickets were to be cut, but it didn’t happen and merely two dozen tickets were cut. So the question is why did the Party not cut tickets? When CEC met, Rahul Gandhi saw the list and said that this is the same old list and questioned the motive behind holding the meeting and discussing it. So, Rahul was of the idea that tickets must be cut. Any ways, that meeting was cancelled and rescheduled after which Gehlot brought a new theory saying that there is lack of good candidates in the field and there may be a rebellion as well. Rahul Gandhi was convinced with Gehlot;s word and said that if we have to loose, then we may contest the same leaders. This would also mean that if we lose then the gap of votes would be less. Moreover, I have said in the past too that when tickets are stalled till last moment, those tickets are given by Gehlot only. This is because his home work is so strong that if any issue comes up, then that seat ultimately goes in Gehlot’s kitty only. So now, the question is who actually dominated the ticket distribution? Rahul Gandhi and a few others asked for certain MLAs to be given ticket, but on the contrary, the ticket of all these MLAs were cut. As far as Ashok Gehlot is concerned, he has his own mathematics regarding politics. I would go on to say that after Amit shah, if there is another leader who is the second most successful Home Minister too, it would be Ashok Gehlot since he also has the Home portfolio. His intelligence and surveillance system is at par with Amit Shah and I feel that if he had been in BJP, he would have been a major part of Modi-Shah team. So on the basis of that intelligence team, Gehlot won against Pilot. So as far as cutting tickets is concerned, ultimately ‘magic’ happened!

TO BE CONTINUED...

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