"Want To Gift Electoral Victory To Sonia Gandhi": Ashok Gehlot On Polls

"She (Sonia Gandhi) made me Chief Minister after becoming the party chief in 1998. She placed her trust in me. So it is also my duty to gift her an election victory." Ashok Gehlot said.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, days ahead of the state elections, said today that it is his desire to "gift an election victory to Sonia Gandhi". "She made me Chief Minister after becoming the party chief in 1998. She placed her trust in me. So it is also my duty to gift her an election victory." he told NDTV in an exclusive interview barely a year after his loyalists rebelled against the party's Central command over the issue of his successor, when he was called to Delhi for the party's internal elections.  

Mr Gehlot was the party's first choice for the top post that Mallikarjun Kharge occupies today. But the prospect of his rival Sachin Pilot succeeding him at the Chief Minister's post in Rajasthan had hugely upset Mr Gehlot and his loyalists, who launched an open rebellion.  

More than 70 MLAs had skipped the Legislature Party meeting sought by Mrs Gandhi, where the succession issue was to be settled, and held a parallel meeting.