New Delhi:

In a widening of fissures between the Congress and the AAP, allies at the Central level as part of the INDIA bloc, Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is its opponent in Delhi and is harbouring a misconception that it will win again in the upcoming Assembly elections. In a swift, stinging response, Mr Kejriwal said Mr Gehlot’s remarks have laid bare the “secret cooperation” between the Congress and the BJP for the Delhi polls. 

The public spat between the senior leaders of the INDIA allies comes days after the AAP said it would ask other members to remove the Congress from the opposition bloc unless one of its leaders, Ajay Maken, apologised for calling Arvind Kejriwal “anti-national”. Even then, the AAP had said that the Congress was doing everything it could to ensure that it helped the BJP in the Delhi elections.

Answering a question on Wednesday, Ashok Gehlot, who is a former Rajasthan Chief Minister, said in Hindi, “They (the AAP) are our opposition. They are harbouring a misconception since they won twice (in Delhi)… the voters’ mood seems to have changed now. The Congress is campaigning well and we may see good results this time.”

Sharing a clip of Mr Gehlot’s remarks on X, Mr Kejriwal said the Congress leader’s comments have proven what the people already believed. 

“Gehlot ji, you made it clear that the Congress sees the AAP as the opposition in Delhi. You remained silent on the BJP. People also felt that the AAP is the opposition for the Congress and the BJP is its partner. People also believed that the BJP and the Congress are fighting the elections together against the AAP. So far, this cooperation between you two was a secret. Today, you have made it public. Thank you, on behalf of the people of Delhi, for this clarification,” the former Delhi chief minister wrote in Hindi. 

Support From Allies

Earlier on Wednesday, the Trinamool Congress – another key INDIA ally – threw its weight behind the AAP for the Delhi polls, following in the footsteps of the Samajwadi Party, which had reportedly done so a day earlier. 

Thanking the Trinamool Congress and its President Mamata Banerjee for the support, Mr Kejriwal said he was “personally grateful”.

“TMC has announced support to AAP in Delhi elections. I am personally grateful to Mamta Didi. Thank you Didi. U have always supported and blessed us in our good and bad times (sic),” he wrote on X. 

Senior Trinamool Congress MP and the party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, responded almost immediately, saying, “We have your back @AamAadmiParty.” 

Mr Kejriwal had also expressed gratitude to INDIA ally Samajwadi Party on Tuesday after its chief, Akhilesh Yadav, reportedly said he would support the AAP. 

“Thank you very much Akhilesh ji. You always support and stand with us. I and the people of Delhi are grateful for this,” he wrote on Tuesday.

The Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress had backed the AAP during the 2020 elections as well. 

Delhi will vote on February 5 and counting of votes will be held on February 8.

Jaipur:

Former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot’s ex-OSD Lokesh Sharma on Thursday said he has handed over evidence to Delhi Police’s crime branch in support of his claim that Gehlot provided him call recordings of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to circulate to media during the political crisis of 2020.

Mr Sharma reached the crime branch office in New Delhi on Thursday and handed over a pen drive, laptop and phone for investigation.

Delhi Police questioned Mr Sharma on Wednesday last week in connection with a phone-tapping case lodged on a complaint by Mr Shekhawat.

Sharma had submitted a seven-page written statement, describing the sequence of events on July 16, 2020 when he got the pen drive allegedly containing call recordings from the then CM for circulating them to the media.

“I have provided all evidence in support of my statement. Now Ashok Gehlot should be summoned for interrogation,” he said.

Sharma, in April this year, had publicly alleged that an audio clip of a purported telephonic conversation between Mr Shekhawat and some Congress leaders on “toppling” the then Congress government in Rajasthan was given to him by the former chief minister.

He claimed Ashok Gehlot had given the pen drive, containing three call recordings, “including two purported recordings of Mr Shekhawat with Congress leaders.

“I transferred the recordings to a laptop and from laptop I transferred to my phone and then circulated to media through social media,” he told PTI.

Mr Sharma said that he was not involved in the call interceptions. “It was done on the directions of the then chief minister,” he said.

The political crisis was the result of rebellion by the then deputy CM Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress leaders against Mr Gehlot’s leadership.

During the crisis, clips of alleged telephonic conversations between Mr Shekhawat and Congress leaders surfaced following which Mr Gehlot had claimed that Mr Shekhawat was behind the attempt of toppling his government.

Mr Sharma had circulated the clips purportedly containing conversations about “toppling” the Congress government.

In March 2021, Delhi Police registered an FIR against Sharma on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telephonic conversations on a complaint from Shekhawat.

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

Jaipur:

A former aide’s statement to Delhi Police in the Rajasthan phone-tapping case can turn the heat on Congress veteran and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Lokesh Sharma was officer-on-special-duty and handled Mr Gehlot’s press relations when he was Chief Minister. In a seven-page statement, he said Mr Gehlot gave him a pen drive on July 16, 2020, and asked him to leak to the media. This was when a group of Congress MLAs led by Sachin Pilot rebelled against the Ashok Gehlot government, almost bringing it down.

Mr Sharma has said he took the pen drive home, downloaded the contents on his laptop, and then transferred them to his phone. He said that when the recordings went viral, he realised they were clips of tapped conversations between the MLAs who had rebelled and some BJP leaders.

Mr Sharma has said he was only following instructions from his boss.

Lokesh Sharma also alleged that the phones of MLAs, both in the Ashok Gehlot camp and the rebel camp, were being tapped during the 2020 crisis.

Lokesh Sharma may shift blame onto Mr Gehlot, but it is not clear if this will help him avoid prosecution. Delhi Police have charged Lokesh for unlawfully intercepting telephonic conversations. He has also alleged a threat to his life and demanded security for him and his family.

During the 2020 political crisis in Rajasthan, some audio recordings went viral. In these clips, it appeared that BJP leaders were talking to Congress MLAs in the Sachin Pilot camp to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led government. Mr Gehlot assigned the case to Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group. BJP leader and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was asked to give a voice sample as it appeared he was one of the people speaking to a Congress MLA. In response, Mr Shekhawat registered an FIR against Lokesh Sharma with the Delhi Police Crime Branch in 2021. The FIR against Lokesh Sharma was filed under the charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawful interception of telephonic conversations.

Lokesh Sharma filed a petition with the Delhi High Court in this connection. His statements accusing Mr Gehlot may now spark a political storm in Rajasthan. The former Chief Minister has refrained from commenting on the matter so far.

Jaipur:

The crime branch of Delhi Police has again summoned former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s ex-OSD Lokesh Sharma for interrogation in connection with a phone tapping case registered by Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

The interrogation this time could be a cause of concern for Ashok Gehlot as his former officer on special duty (OSD) has publicly alleged that the clip of an alleged telephone conversation between Mr Shekhawat and some Congress leaders on “toppling” the then Congress government in 2020 was given to him by Gehlot himself.

Mr Sharma’s claim marked a shift from his previous stand that he had got three clips from social media and forwarded those to news organisations.

After this public disclosure, it is for the first time that the Delhi Police has summoned him. He was last summoned in October last year, when the Congress was in power in the state.

A team of the crime branch arrived in Jaipur and served the notice to Mr Sharma on Sunday, directing him to appear before the branch at 11 am on September 25.

Earlier, the branch had been sending him notices via email.

Mr Sharma confirmed that he has received the notice and will be appearing to join the investigation on the said date and time.

“I will be appearing before the crime branch as directed in the notice,” he said.

After voting for two-phase Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan was over in April this year, Mr Sharma had accused Gehlot of hatching a conspiracy to tarnish the image of his then deputy Sachin Pilot and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, keeping phones of Pilot and other Congress leaders on surveillance, being involved in the REET paper leak and keeping the party high command in the dark.

The former OSD had said that he would be giving the evidence that he possessed regarding his claim to the investigating agency if sought.

However, Mr Gehlot had refused the allegations.

The phone-tapping controversy erupted in July 2020 during a political crisis when the Congress was running the Rajasthan government.

Clips of alleged telephonic conversations between Mr Shekhawat and Congress leaders surfaced amid a rebellion against Ashok Gehlot by Pilot and 18 party MLAs supporting him.

Mr Sharma had circulated the clips purportedly containing conversations about “toppling” the Congress government.

In March 2021, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Mr Sharma on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telephonic conversations on a complaint by Mr Shekhawat.

Mr Sharma has appeared before the crime branch for questioning five times with the last questioning being on October 10 last year.

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

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.