Magician’s son has many tricks up his sleeve

By all accounts, Ashok Gehlot is a quintessential Rajasthani politician, who, given a choice, would prefer a role in the state instead of a national one. In fact, he reminds many of Bhairon Singh Sekhawat. Old-timers recall how Atal Bihari Vajpayee would try to coax Shekhawat to come to Delhi, but the BJP stalwart would demur. Later, when he became India’s vice-president, he still travelled to Rajasthan to spend his weekends.
Despite his preference for his home state, Gehlot has been playing an important role for the Congress away from Rajasthan. Time and again, Rahul Gandhi has leant on the 67-year-old’s experience and ability to manage crises — be it as the screening committee chairman in Punjab to select candidates or as in-charge of the party’s Gujarat affairs, where Congress ran the BJP ragged at the hustings or even AICC observer during the formation of the coalition government with Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka.
Many would think the Rajasthani leader would be happy to continue in his national role. But, Gehlot appears keen to return to Rajasthan and take charge at the top. Son of a magician, Gehlot, born on May 3, 1951 in Mahamandir in Jodhpur, has always sought out the magic of politics. Starting as president of the state unit of NSUI from 1974 to 1979, Gehlot began early, contesting — but losing — the assembly poll from Sardarpura in 1977 when he was just 26.
That setback behind him, Gehlot progressed spectacularly up the rungs.