Ashok Gehlot says Sachin Pilot should own son Vaibhav’s Jodhpur defeat

Days after the Congress’s rout in Rajasthan in the Lok Sabha election, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that his deputy and state Congress chief Sachin Pilot should take responsibility for the defeat of his son, Vaibhav Gehlot, in Jodhpur.

What Gehlot said

In a television interview on Monday, Gehlot said Pilot had predicted a big win, pointing out that the party had six MLAs in the area and had campaigned well there. Since Pilot had promised a landslide and had backed his son’s ticket from Jodhpur, he said, Pilot should at least accept responsibility for that seat.

Gehlot noted that the party had lost 25 seats. He also said that everyone had to share the blame because elections are fought under collective leadership.

Pilot’s reaction

Pilot, who is Deputy Chief Minister, has declined to comment, but is said to be upset with Gehlot’s remarks.

Background

Jodhpur has long been Gehlot’s bastion, and he has represented it in the Lok Sabha several times. Vaibhav Gehlot lost the seat to the BJP’s Gajendra Singh Shekhawat by 2.7 lakh votes.

Gehlot became Chief Minister after the 2018 Assembly election, in which the Congress emerged as the largest party with 99 of the 199 seats that went to the polls on 7 December 2018, against the BJP’s 73.

See also: Congress and constituencies.

Originally published on 4 June 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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