Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said he got the top job because he deserved it. Speaking at a press conference in Jaipur after presenting the state Budget, he said Congress president Rahul Gandhi had chosen him because people in the villages wanted him in the post. His remarks came months after a bitter contest for the chief minister’s chair between him and state Congress chief Sachin Pilot.

Why he got the job

“Mera CM banna banta tha (I deserved to become the chief minister),” Gehlot said, without naming Pilot, who is now his deputy. He said that during last year’s assembly campaign there was strong feeling in rural areas that nobody other than him should lead the state, and that it was obvious from the names who should and who should not become chief minister. Respecting that public mood, he said, Gandhi gave him the opportunity. He added that he was mindful of the expectations and affection people had shown him.

After the Congress won the December elections, Gehlot and Pilot were both contenders, and following several days of talks in Delhi the party made Gehlot chief minister and Pilot deputy chief minister.

Message to officials

Gehlot said his government’s priority was good, transparent and accountable administration. He urged officers to work with integrity, while saying that, a few officers apart, Rajasthan’s bureaucracy was better than those of other states. “There are some officers who look at watch for 5 pm…this is all in my knowledge,” he said.

He recalled that Gandhi had promised during the campaign that a Congress government would work round the clock, and said officers should see themselves as trustees of the public interest. On law and order, which he called a priority, he said the state police chief had been given a free hand, and asked the police to ignore anyone shielding rapists or other criminals. At the same time, he said, if an elected representative raised an objection to wrongdoing, that view should be heard regardless of party, so that justice was done.

Background

In the December 2018 Rajasthan assembly election, the Congress emerged as the largest party with 99 of the 199 seats that went to the polls on 7 December, against 73 for the BJP, and Gehlot became Chief Minister.

See also: Indian National Congress, political leaders.

Originally published on 11 July 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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