Ashok Gehlot plays early bird, throws Congress hat in Rajasthan ring

Keeping in mind the possibility of his party falling short of the majority mark by some seats, Rajasthan Congress stalwart Ashok Gehlot by Tuesday afternoon threw the Congress hat in the ring by asserting the mandate "is in favour of Congress" even as he has also sent out an open invitation to independents to tag along Congress bid to form government.

Gehlot's move besides aimed at taking the early mover advantage, is also borne out of his experience of forming government in 2008 by mopping up some outside support after Congress emerged the single largest party in a hung Assembly. Incidentally, Gehlot sling with Ghulam Nabi Azad had moved quickly to ink Congress-JD(S) pact when Karnataka polls threw a hung verdict.

By asserting Congress can take along others and by inviting independents and smaller parties to back Congress bid, Gehlot seems to be eyeing a number of independents and smaller parties with whom he has been in touch over the past few days.


In the event of a photo finish, the experience and reach of Gehlot vis-a-vis BJP central leadership will be the central focus in the hunt for numbers.