Delhi. On Friday, Pilot was named Rajasthan’s Deputy Chief Minister; Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot is the Chief Minister.
From creating history by becoming the youngest parliamentarian at the age of 26 to leading the state Congress unit, the 41-year-old charismatic leader has earned his electoral stripes after shepherding a reinvigorated Congress to the crucial victory in the Rajasthan assembly elections ahead of next year’s general elections. In the 200-member assembly, Congress emerged as the single largest party with 99 seats while its ally the Rashtriya Lok Dal won one seat. Besides, BSP also pledged its support to the grand old party.
Although the win against the BJP was not as emphatic as the Congress would have hoped for, Pilot played an instrumental role in steering the party from the humiliating defeat in 2013 to the highs of victory in Rajasthan. He was entrusted with the responsibility of steading the sinking ship when the Congress faced its worst rout, winning just 21 seats against the BJP’s 163 in 2013.