Ashok Gehlot is an Indian politician and one of the top leaders of the Indian National Congress (INC). Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, Gehlot began his socio-political work at an early age. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi recognized her potential during the 1971 East Bengal refugee crisis. He is considered the biggest voice of the Indian National Congress in Rajasthan and has served as the state’s chief minister three times. Let’s take a closer look at Ashok Gehlot’s personal and political life:
Biography/Wiki
Gehlot was born on 3 May 1951 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan (Age as of 2023: 72). He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi from an early age and practiced the Gandhian way of life. He completed his B.A. He received his M.A. degree from Jodhpur University in 1971, M.A. degree in 1973, and LLB degree in 1976. Early on, Grote was so passionate about becoming a doctor that he even enrolled in medical school to fulfill his dream, but later dropped out. Gehlot volunteered there in 1971 during the independence of Bangladesh, or the East Bengal refugee crisis. He served in refugee camps in the East Indian states. At that time, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi noticed him during one of her visits to the refugee camps.
Ashok Gehlot when he was young
family and caste
Gehlot was born into a backward ‘Mali’ (gardener) family, his father was Babu Laxman Singh Gehlot. Ashok Gehlot’s mother’s name is unknown. He had two brothers; Kanwar Sen Gehlot (died of heart attack in 2018) and Agrasen Gehlot.
Ashok Gehlot’s brother, Kanwar Sen Gehlot
Ashok Gehlot also has a sister who lives in Jodhpur.
Ashok Gehlot and his sister
Ashok Gehlot married Sunita Gehlot on November 27, 1977.
Ashok Gehlot and wife
The couple has two children: son Vaibhav Gehlot and
Ashok Gehlot with his wife, son and daughter-in-law
daughter sonya
Ashok Gehlot’s daughter and her husband
Profession
At age 20, the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, noticed his organizational skills while he was volunteering during the refugee crisis in East Bengal and invited him to join politics. In 1974, Gehlot was appointed the first state president of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). In 1979, he was appointed Chairman of the Jodhpur District Congress Committee. In 1980, Gehlot was elected to the seventh Lok Sabha from the Jodhpur constituency and represented the same constituency in the 8th, 10th, 11th and 12th Lok Sabha. In 1982, he was appointed general secretary of the Rajasthan Congress Committee. In the same year, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Tourism in the Indira Gandhi government. In 1984, he was appointed deputy minister of sports of the league. In 1985, Gehlot was elected president of the Rajasthan Congress Committee for the first time. He was appointed as a member of the 10th and 11th Lok Sabha Standing Committee on Railways. In December 1994, he was reappointed as Chairman of the Rajasthan Congress Committee. In 1997, he served as the Chairman of the Rajasthan Congress Committee for the third time.
Ashok Gehlot in the early 1990s
In 1998, he became the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for the first time, representing the Sadapura constituency of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. In 2008, Gehlot became the chief minister of Rajasthan for the second time. In 2018, Ashok Gehlot was elected as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for the third time.
Ashok Gehlot and Congress President Rahul Gandhi
Ashok Gehlot is contesting in the 2023 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections from Sadapura constituency. He won the election by defeating the BJP candidate Mahendra Rathore by 26,396 votes.
dispute
- In 2017, his name appeared on a “Paradise Papers” list along with other politicians in an investigation by the International Consortium for Investigative Journalism. However, he was cleared in the case as no evidence was found against him.
- In 2011, Ashok Gehlot was embroiled in controversy after the Rajasthan government allegedly provided assets and contracts worth Rs 11,000 crore to companies with financial links to his family.
Assets/Net Worth
He has bank fixed deposits of Rs 55 lakh, jewelery worth over Rs 10 lakh and his net worth is around Rs 15 crore. The statistics come from an affidavit he filed in 2013.
fact
- He is a vegetarian and eats nothing from sunset to dawn.
- His father, Babu Laxman Singh Daksh, was a magician and Ashok often accompanied him performing magic tricks across the country.
- He used to perform magic tricks in front of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi; during their childhood.
- Apart from serving in East Bengal refugee camps, he also worked in refugee camps in Indore, Sevagram, Aurangabad and Wardha organized by Tarun Shanti Sena.
- During the 1980 Lok Sabha elections, he personally distributed and put up campaign posters because he was running out of money.
- In 1982, he took a tricycle to the Presidential Palace to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Deputy Minister of Tourism.
- In the 1990s, Gehlot opposed the Indian National Congress’s close association with the controversial godman Chandraswami.
- In 1989, Gehlot concurrently served as the Home Minister of Rajasthan.
- During his tenure as chief minister of Rajasthan, some of the Gehlot government’s policies were highly appreciated, such as 7 million days of employment and his drought management.
- He is the founder of Bharat Seva Sansthan, which provides free books through the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Library and provides ambulance services.
- In 2018, Gehlot came under attack online for making a statement, after which people began mocking him as #ScientistGehlot. The video is a montage of his speech. When Grote learned of his spoof in the media, he posted an actual video of his speech on Twitter.
ये इनकी असलियत है और इनकी फितरत में है कि मुझ जैस े सधरण इंसरन को भी #scientistglot This is the original version, edited. pic.twitter.com/KGygG7RPMn
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) June 5, 2018
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education