Chief Minister post will never leave me, says Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

CM Ashok Gehlot called for the Prime Minister and Election Commission's intervention to stop the ED and income tax raids on Opposition leaders

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot reiterated that the post of chief minister would not leave him and that he had the trust of the Gandhi family with him while speaking to the press in Delhi on Thursday.

The Congress party currently in power in Rajasthan held a Central Election Committee (CEC) on Wednesday to discuss candidates for the upcoming state elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. The party, however, has not yet revealed any candidate list for the 200-seat Assembly in Rajasthan.

Following the meeting, the sitting CM made these statements, adding to speculations on the candidate list and the CM face for Congress in the state.

"After Sonia Gandhi ji became (Congress) president, the first decision she took was to make me the chief minister. I was not the CM candidate but she selected me as the CM," said the Rajasthan CM.

Also Read: Rajasthan elections: Uncertainty over 3 names delay Congress candidate list

He also added, "A woman once told me that god willingly you should become CM for the fourth time. So, I told her that I want to leave the CM post but this post is not leaving me."

Adding to the Congress' adoption of a "united front" ahead of state Assembly elections, Gehlot assured the public that all decisions, including ticket distribution, would be taken unanimously. Gehlot also added that while he believed the post of CM would never leave him, he would accept any decision taken by the party leadership. Gehlot's government had faced a rebellion in 2020 from then Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. Since then Gehlot has stated that he has adopted a "forgive and forget" policy to the incident.

Gehlot also took the opportunity to admonish the raids by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department. He called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to stop the raids immediately as the model code of conduct was in force. He also urged the Election Commission to intervene.

Also Read: People in Rajasthan feel cheated by Congress, says BJP President J P Nadda

The Congress party and BJP have dominated elections in Rajasthan and have traditionally alternated governments, with Congress forming government in the last elections in 2018. The state Assembly elections will be conducted on November 25 and the votes will be counted on December 3.

(With agency inputs)