As Congress trails in Rajasthan, incumbent Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot stares at a bleak future

As early trends show, BJP is widening its lead in Rajasthan with Congress a distant second. If the Congress loses Rajasthan, the responsibility will fall entirely on the soulders of incumbent Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was the face of Congress campaign in the run-up to the elections.

Hyderabad: As BJP races ahead in Rajasthan in the early trends of counting for the assembly elections, incumbent Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot stares at a bleak future paving way for younger Congress leaders to take over. As early trends show, BJP is way ahead leading on as many as 114 of the 199 assembly seats while the Congress was a distant second leading on 68 seats.

All over for Ashok Gehlot? With trends putting the BJP ahead in the Rajasthan assembly election results, Ashok Gehlot stares at the fag end of his political career. While the Rajasthan assembly election results are being seen as an election trend wherein no party has managed to return to power in the last 30 years owing to the anti-incumbency factor, the responsibility of a Congress loss will entirely fall on the shoulders of incumbent CM Ashok Gehlot, who was the face of the Congress campaign.

In the run up to the assembly elections, Gehlot claimed that Rajasthan would break the trend of ousting incumbent governments this time around amid his famous rivalry with former deputy chief minister Ashok Gehlot. In fact Gehlot is said to have fielded non-popular candidates in the assembly elections despite opposition by the ground cadres.

Experts believe that the party high command put the ball in Gehlot's court in giving tickets to the candidates. In other words, if Congress loses, Gehlot will have to take the responsibility for the loss. Gehlot had also chosen PR firm 'Design Box' for advertising his welfare schemes which allegedly bad mouthed the Gandhi family and still went on to bag the project.

What next for Ashok Gehlot: Although incumbent chief minister Ashok Gehlot was leading on his Sardarpura assembly constituency, it is believed that if the Congress loses Rajasthan to the BJP, Gehlot will be eyeing the post of the Leader of the Opposition in the next assembly. But Gehlot may well lose that post too, most likely to his rival Sachin Pilot. Congress leader CP Joshi is also in the race to get the post. All in all, whether Congress wins Rajasthan or not, a massive reshuffle in the state leadership is likely on the cards.