Assembly Elections 2018 Results: T S Singhdeo is one of the contenders for the CM’s post. (Express photo)
After Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan got new chief ministers, all eyes are now set on Chhattisgarh where the announcement will take place on Saturday. According to a release by the state unit, the four CM contenders — T S Singh Deo, Bhupesh Baghel, Tamradhwaj Sahu and Charan Das Mahant — along with the party’s central observer Mallikarjun Kharge will arrive in Raipur tomorrow to hold a meeting with the other MLAs following which the official announcement will be made. The four aspirants had met Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in the national capital earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, after several hours of deliberations and meetings, Ashok Gehlot was named as Rajasthan Chief Minister and state unit chief Sachin Pilot as deputy chief minister. Gehlot had served as CM on two occasions, from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2008 to 2013. The announcement was made by the state’s party observer K C Venugopal. He will take oath as CM on December 17 along with Kamal Nath, who was named as MP CM yesterday.
Supporters of Congress party celebrate after poll results at the party headquarters in New Delhi (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)
Outgoing Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh said he will not move to the Centre but remain in state politics. “Mai yahi tha aur yahi rahunga (I was here and will stay here),” Singh said at a press conference in Raipur. “Now I will keep on coming to the BJP office in my new role. I will be meeting the press more often. Earlier as a CM, there were certain limitations for me but now I will come to party office and keep on meeting my workers,” he added. Read full story here.
Congress office in Raipur decorated ahead of the announcement on Chhattisgarh CM tomorrow. (Express photo/Praveen Khanna)
After landing in Jaipur, newly-elected Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot told reporters, “We would like to thank the public and our workers. The oath-taking ceremony will take place on December 17 following which the new Cabinet will be inducted.”
In a statement released late on Friday, Chhattisgarh Congress said the four CM contenders -- T S Singh Deo, Bhupesh Baghel, Tamradhwaj Sahu and Charan Das Mahant -- along with state party observer Mallikarjun Kharge will arrive in Raipur on Saturday. A meeting of the MLAs will be held following which an official announcment will be made.
Preparation underway for the oath-taking ceremony in Chhattisgarh. The Congress high command is yet to take a call on who will be the CM. (Express photo/Praveen Khanna)
Supporters stand to greet newly-elected Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot as his car leaves from Jaipur airport on Friday. (Express photo/Renuka Puri)
"The loans of the farmers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will be waived off soon as promised by Congress," Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying by PTI.
Congress supporters gather outside Jaipur airport on Friday evening. (Express photo/Renuka Puri)
Gehlot supporters outside Jaipur airport on Friday. (Express photo/Renuka Puri)
With the Congress leadership yet to take a call on who will be the chief minister in Chhattisgarh, party chief Rahul Gandhi met the four contenders today -- T S Singhdeo, Bhupesh Baghel, Charan Das Mahant and Tamradhwaj Sahu. On Thursday, Rahul had deferred the decision as he wanted to hold discussions with prominent party leaders of the state. He had also held a meeting with the party's central observer for Chhattisgarh Mallikarjun Kharge.
Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh at the BJP office in Raipur. (Express photo/Praveen Khanna)
"I and my friend Sachin Pilot, and all the party leaders who will join our Cabinet, will work for good governance as per the wishes of our party chief Rahul Gandhi. I would like to thank the people of the state and the voters for supporting us," Gehlot tweeted.
“I am thankful to our party chief Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders for providing me with another opportunity to serve the people of Rajasthan,” Gehlot tweeted.
Congress leaders Sachin Pilot, K C Venugopal and Ashok Gehlot at the press meet in the national capital. (Express photo/Amit Mehra)
From creating history by becoming the youngest parliamentarian at the age of 26 to leading the state Congress unit, the 41-year-old charismatic leader has earned his electoral stripes after shepherding a reinvigorated Congress to the crucial victory in the Rajasthan assembly elections ahead of next year’s general elections. In the 200-member assembly, Congress emerged as the single largest party with 99 seats while its ally the Rashtriya Lok Dal won one seat. Besides, BSP also pledged its support to the grand old party. Although the win against the BJP was not as emphatic as the Congress would have hoped for, Pilot played an instrumental role in steering the party from the humiliating defeat in 2013 to the highs of victory in Rajasthan. He was entrusted with the responsibility of steading the sinking ship when the Congress faced its worst rout, winning just 21 seats against the BJP’s 163 in 2013. Read more here.
Launching an attack on the previous Vasundhara Raje-led government in Rajasthan, Gehlot said, “The people of Rajasthan have suffered for five years. Vasundhara ji never met anyone for five years. This angered the people, precisely why she was not allowed another term.”
According to ANI, a Congress delegation will meet Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh in Jaipur at 7 pm today.
Born to a Mali Gehlot family in Jodhpur on May 3, 1951, Ashok Gehlot completed his graduation in Science and Law and later obtained a Masters in Economics. Prior to entering politics, in 1971 during the liberation war of Bangladesh, Gehlot had served in the refugee camps at several places, including Bangaon and 24 Parganas districts, in West Bengal. He was also active in the camps organised by the Tarun Shanti Sena at Sevagram, Indore, Aurangabad, and Wardha. Read more here.
"I would like to thank Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other legislators for taking this decision to make Ashok Gehlot Ji the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Together, we will form the government," Sachin Pilot told the media.
"Congress President Rahul Gandhi has decided to appoint Ashok Gehlot Ji as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Sachin Pilot will be the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan," Venugopal said.
While addressing the media, senior Congress leader K C Venugopal said, "Ashok Gehlot will be the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Sachin Pilot will be the Deputy Chief Minister. Experience and leadership will come together in the state."
Amid protests against Kamal Nath’s appointment as Madhya Pradesh CM, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh said the law was taking its due course as far as Nath’s alleged involvement in the 1984 riots is concerned. Singh also pointed out that Nath had served as a central minister for more than 10 years after the allegations had first surfaced and that a mere reference about the MP CM in the Nanavati Commission report cannot be construed as his involvement in the case.
Security outside Jaipur airport ahead of Gehlot’s arrival. (Express photo/Renuka Puri)
On the CM's post, Chhattisgarh Congress chief and another contender Bhupesh Baghel told ANI, “We have given the authority to the high command to decide the name (of the CM); whatever they decide, we'll go by it.”
T S Singhdeo, one of the contenders for the CM's post in Chhattisgarh, told ANI, "I want that Congress deliver the priorities it had set for Chhattisgarh as soon as possible. Rahul Gandhi ji had assured that loans will be waived off within 10 days of government formation."
After several rounds of discussions on selecting the chief minister of Rajasthan, top contenders for the post, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, reached the residence of party chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday for a final settlement on the issue. According to sources, both Gehlot and Pilot were called by the Congress president for an amicable settlement to the issue amid a clear fight between the old and the young guard in the party. Sources said former Union minister and party leader from Rajasthan Jitendra Singh met Pilot earlier in the day and then met Gandhi. Party's central observer for Rajasthan K C Venugopal and AICC general secretary in-charge of party affairs in the state Avinash Pande were also present at Gandhi's residence during the discussions.
Kamal Nath, Madhya Pradesh CM designate says, " I would like to thank public and I hope that we will live up to the expectations that public has from us and the Congress party. Our priorities will be the agriculture sector and generating employment for the youth."
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, "No dispute or differences within the party on who will be CM in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh; due process of discussion is on."
Shiromani Akali Dal MLAs led by Sukhbir Singh Badal addresses a press conference in Punjab Vidhan Sabha over Kamal Nath and other issues. Criticises Congress for holding a single sitting winter session of Assembly.
Plus: The two-term Chief Minister has experience and is seen as an effective administrator. He is an organisation man, with a personal connect with leaders across the state, and also a mass leader acceptable and accessible across communities. He can set in motion the wheels of governance immediately in the limited time ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Minus: Gehlot carries the baggage of leading the party in two campaigns that ended in defeat, the last being in 2013, when the Congress could win only 21 seats. His name was linked to alleged housing and land allotment scams. Moving Gehlot to Jaipur could also create a vacuum at the national level.
Akali Dal creates a ruckus in Punjab Vidhan Sabha over Kamal Nath's role in 1984 riots. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh defends Kamal Nath.
Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot says, "Decision is not being delayed, BJP is spreading lies. BJP took 7 days in UP and 9 days in Maharashtra to choose a CM. The process takes time, observers go to states for discussion. Whenever such a decision is taken, it takes time."
Plus: At 41, Pilot fits well into Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s objective of reaching out to young, aspirational India. Ever since he took over as Rajasthan Congress president five years ago, Pilot has led the party from the front in taking on the BJP government over various issues. Under his command, the party won a series of bye-elections, which set the tempo for the final push.
Minus: Although the two-time Lok Sabha MP was a minister in the UPA government, party leaders say his administrative skills are yet to be tested fully and do not compare with Ashok Gehlot’s proven skills. Given that the government’s survival will depend on independents and smaller parties, leaders say experience will matter. Pilot hails from the Gujjar community and this, some leaders say, could prove to be a disadvantage in the Lok Sabha elections given the Gujjar-Meena divide in the state.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Party President and Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao, appointed Siricilla MLA Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao as the TRS Party Working President
Kamal Nath, in an interview to The Indian Express, said, "I am worried about the fiscal health of Madhya Pradesh and we will have to do some innovative out-of-the box thinking on how resources can be raised for the state. We will have to do something new since there has been such a drain on resources. " He also said, "We will expose the Prime Minister, both at the state and national level. For instance, we will campaign against the kind of GST he has brought in. And the mishandling of demonetisation which has badly hit small businessmen and traders. There is clear lack of confidence in him which is visible. Plus, people are seeing that the CBI is now divided, the RBI is divided, the entire society has been divided by the Modi government." Click to read the full interview
Among the 114 seats that the Congress won in Madhya Pradesh elections, the party recorded victory in 79 seats which the BJP had won in the 2013 elections. The BJP lost power but recorded victory in 25 seats which Congress had won in 2013. In 2013 elections, BJP had won 165 assembly seats to continue in power while Congress had won only 58 seats. An analysis of the poll data shows that BJP managed to retain its hold on 79 seats by defeating Congress — 49 per cent of 165 seats it won in 2013. Congress retained 31 seats — 54 per cent of those won in previous elections. Read More
Kamal Nath will take oath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister on December 17 at Lal Parade Ground in Bhopal.
A hoarding installed by a party leader inside Gehlot’s house said, “Main thasun duur nahin (I’m not far from you)” to negate the Pilot camp’s claims. Mukesh Kumar Saini, 32, from Deedwana, said, “When the high command has decided that Gehlot should be CM, then why are his (Pilot’s) supporters blocking the roads? If Pilot wants to, he can control his supporters.” Shrawan Kumar, 80, from Bundi said, “The soul of Rajasthan wants Gehlot to be CM again, because the welfare work he did was halved by the Raje government. Moreover, Pilot is not as experienced.”
As minor instances of violence were reported, Singh and other youths gathered outside Pilot’s residence claimed that “it is Gehlot’s people who are fanning the flames”. As passions ran high, Suresh Sharma from Bassi said, “I will sleep on the roads. I won’t leave till his name is announced.” Outside the state party office, party general secretary Jagdish Raj said, “Pilot has been state president for five years. The youths get a little emotional. But people also remember the work done by Gehlot during his tenure. We will all honour the party high command’s decision.”
J D Gujjar, 27, from Hindaun City, was camping outside Pilot’s residence since morning. "It is not acceptable to us if someone reaps the reward of someone else’s hard work. We believe in Pilot sahab. He transmitted a new energy across youths of the state,” he said. Several unemployed youths were also camping outside Pilot’s residence. Arun Meena from Jalore said, “I observed Gehlotji. Eight or nine thousands jobs were stuck in his government. Then we gave a chance to Vasundhara Raje and all jobs under her government were stuck in courts. What does the Gandhi family know about our concerns?” Tara Singh Yadav, 25, from Dausa, and NSUI’s district vice-president, said he is also associated with Shiskha Mitra Berozgar Sangathan. “We want a youth leader. Rahul Gandhi talks of youths, so if we don’t get a youth as CM, then India will not get a youth as PM,” he said.