Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot takes oath as CM, Sachin Pilot his deputy

On the premises of the historic Albert Hall in Jaipur, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot were sworn-in as Rajasthan’s Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister respectively on Monday morning.

A galaxy of political leaders and Congress workers from every part of the country attended the oath taking ceremony.

On December 11 this year, the Congress emerged as the single largest party by winning 99 out of 199 seats in Rajasthan.

Ashok Gehlot is the 12th Chief Minister of Rajasthan, serving his third term since 1998.

In the recently concluded 2018 Legislative Assembly elections, Sachin Pilot won from the Tonk seat, after defeating Yunus Khan by a margin of 54,179 votes.

Congratulations to the new CM & Deputy CM of Rajasthan, Shri @ashokgehlot51 & Shri @SachinPilot #IndiaTrustsCongress pic.twitter.com/kuZjLpE46r

— Congress (@INCIndia) December 17, 2018

Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress President @RahulGandhi & opposition leaders from across the country gather in Rajasthan for the swearing in ceremony of CM @ashokgehlot51 & Deputy CM @SachinPilot #IndiaTrustsCongress pic.twitter.com/BRFShH4fkF

— Congress (@INCIndia) December 17, 2018

Various allies of the Congress, former state CM Vasundhara Raje, Congress leader Jitin Prasad and other leaders were also present during the ceremony at Albert hall, which is a distinctive landmark in Jaipur where cultural functions are also held on different occasions.

Apparently, Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel will next take oath as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh respetively. These swearing-in ceremonies in Jaipur, Raipur and Bhopal are being seen as a platform to showcase the Opposition unity ahead of the Lok Sabha polls 2019. Other eminent political personalities present at the occasion were, former prime minister H D Devegowda, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Sharad Pawar, LJD leader Sharad Yadav and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu.

Reportedly, the Congress has also extended invitation to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to attend the ceremonies, signalling a possible thaw in ties. West Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will give the event a miss and has instead directed a representative on her behalf.

Both SP leader Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati would be attending today’s events. These two Uttar Pradesh leaders have extended their respective parties’ support to the Congress after it fell short of a majority in MP and Rajasthan.

Usually the oath-taking ceremonies are organised at the Raj Bhawan. The function in 2003 and 2013, when Vasundhara Raje took oath as chief minister, was held at Janpath outside the Rajasthan Assembly building.

Also read: Delhi court gives Congress’ Sajjan Kumar life term in 1984 Anti-Sikh riots