Ashok Gehlot takes dig at BJP amid Vasundhara Raje or Balak Nath suspense

Outgoing Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party for failing to name the next chief minister of the state, even a week after the results of the assembly election were declared.

“If the Congress had not selected a chief minister for this long, they (BJP) would have shouted a lot. In the Gogamedi case, I had to sign a document stating no objection to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the matter . The new chief minister should have done this. For seven days now, they (BJP) have not been able to select a CM, I want them to make a decision quickly,” Gehlot told reporters.

Chief of Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was shot dead in the living room of his house in Shyamnagar here on Tuesday. A special investigation team (SIT) was formed on Wednesday to investigate the murder. He was cremated on Thursday in his native village in Hanumangarh district, officials said.

Alleging that there is no discipline in the BJP, Gehlot said, “…For around seven days now, they (BJP) have not been able to announce CM faces in the three states… If we had done the same, don’t know what allegations they would have levelled against us and misled people. They polarised the polls…We will cooperate with the new government,” the Congress leader said.

As the BJP navigates its internal deliberations on the chief ministerial candidate for Rajasthan, several prominent names are emerging as potential contenders for the post.

Vasundhara Raje, a two-time chief minister; Diya Kumari, who has been elected MLA from Vidyadhar Nagar; Mahat Balak Nath, who emerged victorious from the Tijara constituency; and Rajyavarardhan Singh Rathore, triumphant from the Jhotwara constituency, are being seen as the top contenders.

Meanwhile, even as speculations over the BJP’s CM picks continued, Raje, a former Rajasthan chief minister, on Thursday called on Nadda at the latter’s residence in the national capital.

The BJP swept the Hindi heartland on the counting day for four states that polled for their assemblies last month.

With its stunning mandates in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, the BJP stumped not just their rivals but also some pollsters who had predicted tight races in these states.

In Rajasthan, the vote count painted a starkly different picture from what some of the pollsters had predicted, with the BJP poised to form the government, winning 115 seats, and the Congress trailing at 69 seats.

“Election results have been announced. I had said this earlier too that state elections should be fought on local issues. The prime minister or home minister should have pointed out flaws in works done during our five-year term. But they didn’t raise these issues, rather issues like Kanhaiya Lal’s murder were highlighted during campaigning. They (BJP leaders) polarised the election,” alleged Gehlot on Saturday.