Finally, Rajasthan gets a CM in Ashok Gehlot, and a co-Sachin Pilot too

Bringing an end to the intrigue over who will be declared the chief minister in Rajasthan, the Congress on Friday declared former CM and party general secretary in charge of the organisation, Ashok Gehlot as the chief minister, and state party president Sachin Pilot as the deputy chief minister.

Soon after the announcement, both the leaders left for Jaipur where they met Governor Kalyan Singh and staked claim to form the government. The swearing in of the Gehlot government will take place on December 17, which will be attended by party president Rahul Gandhi as well as Opposition party leaders.

In a press conference held by both Gehlot and Pilot, in the presence of observer KC Venugopal, state in-charge Avinash Pande, the party made the announcement. "As the observer of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly leadership election, I would like to inform you of the decision of the Congress President. The Congress President has decided, Ashok Gehlot ji as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Along with Gehlot ji, Sachin Pilot ji will be the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan," said Venugopal. In addition, Pilot will continue to be the state party president.

Venugopal further said the poll promises of farm loans waiver, employment for the youth will be swiftly implemented.

"I would like to say on this happy occasion that I and my colleague Sachin Pilot and all of our cabinet colleagues will all join together in Rajasthan and give good governance in accordance with the promises of Mr. Rahul Gandhi. And, for the five years people there who have suffered hardships, had big plans in our plans, refineries, Jaipur metro, tribal areas can look forward to implemented work," said Gehlot.

Magician's son to be CM again...

It was anything but abracadabra. The Congress decision Friday to pick the magician’s son as the Rajasthan chief minister was neither quick nor easy.

Deliberations dragged on in Delhi before the party, which defeated the BJP 99-73 in the assembly elections, chose 67-year-old Ashok Gehlot over the youthful Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot for the post that both felt they had earned.

Gehlot is an old hand at this job. He first became the state’s chief minister in 1998, the second time in 2008 and is now set to be sworn in for a third stint.

The politician has said magic is in his soul. At a conjurors’ convention in 2015 which he inaugurated by performing a little trick of his own Gehlot said he would have followed in his father Lachman Singh’s footsteps had he not joined politics.

This he did thanks to Indira Gandhi, according to some accounts. She is said to have noticed his work with East Bengal refugees, and was impressed.

He headed the Rajasthan unit of the NSUI and was later seen as a staunch loyalist of the Gandhi family.

In his early years in politics, some in the party called him 'gilli billi', a reference to his past when he performed magic on tours as an assistant to his father Lachman Singh Gehlot.

Later, another tag stuck.He started being called Rajasthan’s Gandhi’ for is simple lifestyle and mass connect.