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Ashok Gehlot's clean image failed to click
It was indeed the chief minister Ashok Gehlot's defeat in the assembly elections ? just as any Congress victory would have really been his, writes Rajesh Sinha.
It was chief minister Ashok Gehlot's defeat in the assembly elections — just as any Congress victory would have really been his.
The selection of candidates had been done in accordance with Gehlot's wishes; other senior party leaders had had a limited say. Result: most MLAs contested again. This might have been the deciding factor in the polls.
The Congress campaign was centred on Gehlot — and on party president Sonia Gandhi. With national-level leaders from Rajasthan not coming out to campaign, Gehlot looked abandoned by a limp party organisation.
Low-profile by nature, Gehlot took up campaigning — travelling to every region to speak about his government's achievements and the hardships it faced.
He confined himself to governance, refusing to rebut personal attacks or be drawn into unsavoury debates. "Such things have no place in the culture and tradition of Rajasthan," he said every time. "We will always maintain a basic level of decency."
The Congress banked on Gehlot's clean image and the general impression about his governance — ranging from good to satisfactory. The high ratings given to Gehlot boosted this impression.
Over the years, as Gehlot's stature grew and he got the high command's approval, his party men withdrew. Gehlot banked on his people, his MLAs and ministers who would not create trouble for him. As it turned out, many among them share the responsibility for the Congress' loss.
This 'local anti-incumbency' was also a significant factor, as conceded by a RSS functionary.
In the case of government employees, it was the harassment through transfers — apart from the withholding of benefits like bonus and DA — that drove them into the welcoming arms of the BJP.
These election results signify the end of an era in Rajasthan. The older lot seems to be making way for younger leaders. For the BJP, it means Vasundhara Raje coming into her own and the party emerging from B.S. Shekhawat's predominance.
