Rajasthan’s most recognised ‘jadugar’ is back with his show. Unlike a conventional ‘jadugar’ or magician, this one loves to put up political shows that can leave anyone spellbound. Ashok Gehlot (67), a trained magician and two-time former chief minister of the state, is known for his abilities to mesmerize even the strongest of his critics and rivals with his political moves.People following the daily drama these days of celebrations and rebellions over candidates getting or losing Congress tickets for the assembly elections on December 7, know that the ‘Gehlot show’ has begun. The voters now look glued to the state polls like spectators in a cricket match that promises a nail-biting finish.Gehlot has done it in the past too. Be it his entry into politics replacing Janardhan Singh Gehlot as a protégé of the Gandhi family in the 1970s or giving competition to chief ministers like Hari Dev Joshi and Shiv Charan Mathur in 1980s or to Parasram Maderna and C P Joshi in the recent past, all his moves have been nothing less than magic tricks that left the challengers wondering what struck them.His politics of springing up magical surprises in the nick of time got him followers across India and admirers across the parties. The 2017 Gujarat elections catapulted him back to national politics—he was union minister under Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s before taking control of the state politics in late 1990s. In the political circles here it is said of him that to survive in Congress one has to have his ‘blessings’.The Congress has not named its chief ministerial candidate for the 2018 state polls and Gehlot has fed the suspense with his occasional statements loaded with political messages. Last month he compared the Congress CM candidate race with the TV reality show “Kaun Banega Crorepati”. When asked to tell at least who was in the “hot seat”, Gehlot had quipped, “The show hasn’t begun yet.” With election candidates disclosed this week, Congressmen know the magician’s show has begun!

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