Jodhpur:

The BJP on Sunday attacked former chief minister Ashok Gehlot after an audio clip of a conversation purportedly between him and his ex-OSD surfaced online, with Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat accusing Mr Gehlot of resorting to illegal phone tapping to save his government.

Mr Gehlot’s then officer on special duty (OSD) Lokesh Sharma had played the call recording between him and Mr Gehlot at a presser in April, claiming that the clips of alleged telephone conversation between Mr Shekhawat and some Congress leaders on “toppling” the state’s Congress government in 2020 was given to him in a pen drive by the former CM.

Sharma is an accused in a case related to the illegal phone tapping registered by Mr Shekhawat in Delhi.

The call recording purportedly between Mr Gehlot and Sharma recently surfaced on social media.

Reacting to this, Mr Shekhawat said, “The former chief minister had resorted to phone tapping in order to save his government. He recorded the phone conversation and saved it in a pen drive to make it public.” He said that this entire conversation is now in public domain and people know everything.

State Education Minister Madan Dilawar also launched a scathing attack on Mr Gehlot over the issue.

“Now it has become clear to everyone how Ashok Gehlot used to conspire. The revelations about phone tapping are gradually coming to light. As a result, Gehlot is scared of the ruling party. This is why he is not attending the assembly,” said Mr Dilawar.

Mr Dilawar was on a day’s visit to Jodhpur as the minister in-charge of the district and held a meeting with the officials with regard to implementation of budget announcements.

He said that phone tapping is a crime. But when Ashok Gehlot was the chief minister, he tapped the phone of former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, the state minister added.

“Now his (Gehlot’s) own people are exposing it. The people of Rajasthan now understand to what extent Gehlot has betrayed them,” he said.

After the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan were over in two phases in April this year, Lokesh Sharma had held a press conference in Jaipur to claim that Gehlot had given him some call recordings in a pen drive to circulate to the media.

The audio clips were allegedly related to the political crisis that erupted after Mr Pilot along with 18 other MLAs had revolted against Mr Gehlot’s leadership.

In 2020, three call recordings were circulated by Sharma to the media. It was alleged that clips contained telephonic conversations between Shekhawat and Congress leaders to topple the Gehlot government. Sharma at that time had claimed that he got the clips through social media.

Mr Shekhawat had registered a case in Delhi against Sharma in March 2021 on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telephonic conversations.

Sharma approached the Delhi High Court to quash the FIR. In June 2021, the high court granted an interim stay on coercive action against Sharma. Sharma said in April that he would give the evidence (to prove that call recordings were given to him by Gehlot) to the investigating agency.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Amethi (Uttar Pradesh):

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that Congress candidate KL Sharma is “enough” for BJP’s incumbent MP Smriti Irani as he is the “familiar face” in Amethi for the past 40 years.

Notably, the Congress has fielded Mr Sharma, replacing Rahul Gandhi, on the last day of filing nominations in Amethi on May 3. Gandhi who has been wining from Amethi since 2004, lost to Irani in 2019 parliamentary polls. The Congress has fielded the former Amethi MP from Raebareli.

Mr Gehlot told news agency ANI that Mr Sharma has been working for the welfare of the Amethi people for the past 40 years.

“Rahul Gandhi is not contesting from Amethi because KL Sharma has been a ground-level worker for the past 40 years and he is enough for Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi will definitely win the Raebareli seat. KL Sharma is a familiar face for the people here. He has worked for the welfare of the people. What could be better for the people than getting a person who has been working for them for so long,” he told ANI on Saturday when being asked how he sees the contest in Amethi.

Mr Gehlot emphasised that the Congress will handsomely win both the Amethi and Raebareli seats, where voting will be done in the fifth phase on May 20.

“If you go to both areas, you will find that there is a one-sided fight. Smriti Irani is also a Union Minister and people expected a lot from her. In 2014 and 2019, she spread a lot of confusion against Rahul Gandhi and in 2019, she got success,” Mr Gehlot added.

Sharpening his attacks on the BJP, the Congress leader said that with the conclusion of the first, second and third phases of the Lok Sabha elections, it is becoming clear that the BJP government will go.

“The BJP thought that ‘Abki baar Modi Sarkar’ and ‘Modi ki guarantee’ would win elections for them but it is not so. That’s why Modi Ji is also scared and calling our manifesto that of the Muslim League, and that Congress will snatch Mangalsutra…,” he said.

He also mentioned that Congress ‘Nyay Patra’ is not just a manifesto but a document of the future.

“This is a revolutionary document. The more we go deeper into this, the more we will know that the future belongs to the young generation,” Mr Gehlot said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s former aide Lokesh Sharma has once again hit out at him over allegations of phone tapping in the previous government and the REET exam paper leak issue.

Timed just a day ahead of the second phase of the Lok Sabha election, Loksh Sharma claimed Mr Gehlot had handed him a pen drive with some audio clips that were then leaked to the media. He claimed he was told that these were interceptions of phone conversations but was not sure if they were legal.

In July 2020, when the Ashok Gehlot government was being rocked by the rebellion of Sachin Pilot and 19 MLAs, certain audio conversations of rebel MLAs like Vishwendra Singh and Bhanwar Lal Sharma were leaked to the media and had gone viral.

One of these conversations was allegedly between Bhanwar Lal, a rebel MLA and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The purported conversation indicated that the BJP was involved in the attempt to topple the Ashok Gehlot government.

Mr Shekhawat had filed a police case accusing Lokesh Sharma of leaking the alleged conversation. He also filed a defamation case against Mr Gehlot in connection with the issue.

The phone tapping case is being investigated by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police who had summoned Lokesh Sharma earlier for questioning. He is currently on bail from the Delhi High Court, which has ordered non-coercive action against him

Lokesh Sharma has also alleged that Ashok Gehlot’s close aides were protected by him in the REET paper leak issue of 2022. The leaking of the teachers’ training exam paper or REET was also a political issue raised by the state’s Opposition BJP in last year’s assembly elections.

Mr Sharma has recently been tweeting against his former boss, but this is the first time he has openly spoken out about allegations of phone tapping —  his disclosures timed just a day ahead of voting in Rajasthan and especially voting in Mr Gehlot’s constituency Jodhpur.

Mr Gehlot, who is in Jodhpur after campaigning, has so far not commented on these allegations.

Jaipur:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said Rajasthan is going to give all 25 Lok Sabha seats to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a third time. Addressing a poll rally in Bhilwara, Mr Shah also targeted former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, saying that he was stuck in the election campaign of his son Vaibhav Gehlot, the Congress candidate from the Jalore seat.

Vaibhav Gehlot is going to lose the election by a huge margin, the Union minister claimed.

“The first phase of elections was yesterday (Friday). All 12 seats of Rajasthan that voted in the first phase are going to Narendra Modi. Rajasthan is going to make a hat-trick of giving all 25 seats to Narendra Modi for a third time,” Shah said.

He also hit out at Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, claiming that they go on vacations abroad every three months.

“Priyanka Gandhij i returned from Thailand after a vacation in the middle of the elections,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jodhpur, a significant Lok Sabha constituency in Rajasthan, has seen a rich electoral history marked by intense competition between political parties. The constituency, which comprises eight assembly seats, holds a unique political landscape, with one assembly seat in Jaisalmer district and the remaining in Jodhpur.

Electoral Composition

The electorate of Jodhpur reflects a blend of rural and urban demographics, with rural areas constituting 58 per cent and urban areas 42 per cent of the total constituency. Additionally, the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities represent 15 per cent and 3.9 per cent, respectively. In terms of religious demographics, Hindus form the majority with 80 per cent, followed by Muslims at 15 per cent, and other religious groups at 5 per cent.

Political Dynamics

Over the years, Jodhpur has been a battleground for political supremacy, seeing a tug-of-war between the Congress and the BJP. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a stalwart in Rajasthan politics, has won from this constituency five times. Despite being the Congress’s stronghold historically, BJP has made significant inroads, winning five times, with independents clinching the seat four times.

Legacy of Royal Representation

Jodhpur’s political legacy boasts three members of the royal family ascending to the position of MPs, including a couple and their daughter. Hanumant Singh, Krishna Kumari, and Chandresh Kumari have all left their mark on Jodhpur’s politics.

Ministerial Representation

MPs from Jodhpur have often translated their electoral success into ministerial roles at the Centre. Ashok Gehlot, Chandresh Kumari, Jaswantsinh Jasol, and the current MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat have all wielded influence at the national level.

Current Scenario

The upcoming elections in Jodhpur present a compelling narrative, with the BJP fielding Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for a third consecutive time. The Congress faces an uphill battle, with only one out of eight assembly seats under its control. The presence of Ashok Gehlot’s stronghold, Sardarpura, underscores the fierce competition expected in this constituency. As the electoral fervour intensifies, Jodhpur emerges as a pivotal battleground where political legacies collide, and electoral fortunes hang in the balance.

New Delhi:

The sons of Congress veterans Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath may make it to the party’s second list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, according to sources. The Congress’s central election committee, tasked with finalising candidates, met yesterday and discussions were held on 62 constituencies across six states and Union Territories. These include Assam, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Daman and Diu.

Sources said the party’s choice for 50 of these seats has been finalised. Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav, a member of the All India Congress Committee, may be fielded from Jalore, sources have said. Vaibhav Gehlot had contested the 2019 general election from Jodhpur, but lost to BJP heavyweight Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

Kamal Nath’s son Nakul may be repeated from the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, which he won in the 2019 polls, sources said. This comes after a buzz last month that Mr Nath may quit the Congress and join the BJP. The Congress veteran had then dismissed any such possibility and said it was just a rumour.

The prominent Congress leaders whose names were discussed are Mr Nath, Mr Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, Harish Rawat and Digvijaya Singh. Sources have also said many senior leaders from these states, which are currently ruled by the BJP, do not want to contest the polls.

The Congress on Friday released its first list of candidates for the general election. While Rahul Gandhi has been chosen for Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, which he lost to Union Minister Smriti Irani last time, Shashi Tharoor has been repeated in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, which he has been winning since 2009.

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will be contesting from Rajnandgaon and top Congress leader KC Venugopal from Kerala’s Alapuzzha.

Jaipur:

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday accused the Centre of governing the state through remote control and undermining the authority of the elected chief minister.

The state doesn’t seem to have a government for the last three months, he alleged.

He said that ministers are not able to appoint their private secretaries according to their wish and the Centre is implementing the Gujarat model in Rajasthan.

“It’s been two-three months of the BJP government in the state. There is a discussion in every household as to why there is no governance. I believe that only the chief minister cannot be blamed for it. It is a remote-controlled government which is against the spirit of democracy,” Mr Gehlot told reporters after moving into the new government bungalow from the official CM’s residence, now allotted to the new incumbent.

He added, “An elected Chief Minister has authority, and the government is run by that authority and it provides good governance. They (Centre) have remote-controlled the government. The chief secretary is the de facto chief minister and I have heard that deputy chief ministers are more powerful than the chief minister.” Reacting to his statements, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said all three bodies of democracy are working together in the state whereas in the previous government, the power was divided between two centres – apparently referring to the tussle between Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot.

Mr Gehlot earlier said if the authority of the chief minister is weakened, it’s the public which will suffer the most. “The chief minister cannot govern without authority.” The Congress leader said there is a possibility that people in the BJP may be “conspiring” against Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.

“What do you want? The Prime Minister should answer this. What does the Prime Minister want in the country?” he asked.

“This is also an example of the dictatorial tendencies reining supreme in the country … ‘Double-engine’ means both the engines should be of equal capacity but that is not the case here,” Mr Gehlot added.

Mr Meghwal said that the BJP government led by Bhajanlal Sharma has worked more in two months as compared to the two months of the Gehlot government.

“All three bodies including legislature, executive and judiciary are working together in the state whereas in the previous Congress government, there were two power centres. One was led by Ashok Gehlot whereas the other was led by Sachin Pilot,” Mr Meghwal said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

The upcoming assembly election is not just about Rajasthan, it is also about Congress’ future, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Wednesday, and added that the country needed the party.

Urging party leaders to reject politics and make Congress candidates win the polls, Ashok Gehlot said that such leaders could later be given official positions by the government.

The party would resolve the issues with those who could not be given a ticket to contest the polls, the chief minister said.

Assembly elections are due in the state on November 25, and counting of votes will be done on December 3.

“Even if we could not give tickets to those who stood by us and to those who saved our government, we have told them to help elect candidates who are contesting for the party. Leave all kinds of politics. Nation is first. The entire country today needs the Congress party,” Ashok Gehlot said.  

“The election is not just about Rajasthan but it is also an election of Congress’ future. If they (party leaders) will make the party win the elections then they will be adjusted in boards after elections. If needed, we will give them the status of ministers.”  The chief minister said that it is natural that there is some resentment after ticket distribution among some party workers even though it was done after collective discussions. Still, there can be some complaints, he added.  He exuded confidence that Congress would win the elections.

Replying to a question on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s visit to Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot said, “It is a bulldozer government there. Is this the way to rule? Is it a democracy? Some people become happy due to their words. But if there is no rule of the law then we will also not be secure. Rule of the law is important for everyone.”  “They have destroyed law and order. You can imagine where they are taking the country. I don’t want to get into it,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

The BJP on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India claiming that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s announcement of “seven guarantees” ahead of the November 25 assembly elections violated the poll code.

Last Friday, Ashok Gehlot announced five guarantees for Rajasthan, including a law on the Old Pension Scheme, buying cow dung and providing a laptop or a tablet to government college students, if his is reelected. Two “guarantees” were announced in Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s public meeting earlier.

A BJP delegation met with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Praveen Gupta on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum, saying that once the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect, announcements of any kind of schemes by which a political party can attempt to influence voters are a violation.

The Model Code of Conduct came into force in Rajasthan on October 9 after the Election Commission announced the date for the assembly elections.

In a statement, the BJP alleged that Ashok Gehlot’s announcement was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and also falls under the category of “corrupt practices’ under Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The BJP’s intellectual cell convenor Rajendra Singh Shekhawat said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recently wrote a message on social media about the seven guarantees of the Congress and asked people to register themselves to avail of the benefits of such schemes.

He alleged that luring the general public to register for such schemes is a criminal act and a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

This is against the rules and should be stopped immediately, Mr Shekhawat said, adding that action should be taken against the Congress and its Chief Minister.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Attacking the Central government on recent Enforcement Directorate raids in poll-bound Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the National Democratic Alliance government is “doing a crime” and the country “will never forgive them”.

“The NDA govt is doing a crime and the country will never forgive them…election is going on, ED keeps showing up at the houses of party leaders, keeping them (opposition leaders) busy throughout the day. BJP people are freely fighting the elections, whereas Congress leaders are being sent notices…,” Chief Minister Gehlot told reporters on Saturday in Delhi

“Even if they (BJP) lose elections in all 5 states, it won’t be surprising…ED has still not conveyed why they are raiding these political leaders and what they found so far…only BJP is talking, they have become ED’s spokesperson,” Mr Gehlot alleged.

ED on Thursday conducted raids at the residences of state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara in Jaipur and Sikar. Additionally, a coaching centre allegedly linked to Dotasara was also searched.

The ED has also summoned Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son, Vaibhav Gehlot, for questioning in a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case.

Mallikarjun Kharge told ANI, “They (BJP) want to spoil Gehlot’s election and demoralise and scare Congress leader. They do it always. We won’t be scared, we will fight strongly and will face this. Whatever they are doing is not right. We have been in politics for 50 years, but ED and IT raids during election time, have never happened. But today they are doing this to scare the CM. But one day they too will have to suffer.”

Congress leader Sachin Pilot expressed suspicion about the “timing,” “objective,” and “intent” behind the raids conducted by central government agencies in Rajasthan, suggesting that the BJP might be feeling vulnerable ahead of the Rajasthan assembly elections.

Mr Pilot criticized the BJP for specifically targeting Congress leaders without factual evidence, accusing them of attempting to use central agencies to influence the election outcome.

Polling for all 200 seats in the Rajasthan Assembly will be held on November 25 and the counting of votes will be held on December 3.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)