Two-time Chief Minister Gehlot will now take the reins of the state for the third time.

The Congress chief had earlier held a series of meetings with CM aspirants in Rajasthan -- Ashok Gehlot and Pilot -- but no consensus emerged between the two and Pilot asserted his right for the top post.

Sources within the Congress said party president Rahul Gandhi has picked experienced Ashok Gehlot over Sachin Pilot to be Rajasthan CM.

The focus in Rajasthan is now on who would be the Congress choice for chief minister between two-time CM Ashok Gehlot and the party’s state unit president Sachin Pilot.

Gehlot indicated towards assembling an alliance by taking along willing parties and the candidates who have parted ways with the BJP.  

The trend that BJP and Congress parties are voted to power alternately appears to continue in the state. Neither the BJP or the Congress have been able to win consecutive Assembly elections in Rajasthan since 1993.

Official trends from the Election Commission showed the Congress party leading on 98 seats, the BJP at the same time was at 65.

Post noon, Congress candidates were leading over their rivals in 95 of the 197 constituencies, from where trends were available, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 78 others.  

He also credited Gandhi for the party's good performance in all the five states, including Rajasthan.

Paramilitary jawans opened fire in the air to disperse miscreants trying to force their way into a booth at a village in Alwar's Shahjahapur. In Bikaner's Kolayat, two groups clashed outside a polling booth and a vehicle was torched.

Slamming the Centre over demonetisation, Gehlot said it was a black chapter and prime minister "shattered" the country's economy.

In 2013  polls, the BJP had swept nine out of 10  Assembly seats in Jodhpur region. 

The AICC general secretary, who is contesting December 7 elections from Jodhpur's Sardarpura seat, is conducting electioneering in Mewar region for the party.

He alleged that in 2014, an environment was created against the Manmohan Singh government.

Gehlot said he is "more than satisfied" with his long political career as a five-time Lok Sabha MP, three time Union minister and ten-year Rajasthan chief minister.

Amit Shah was well aware that people in the state shall never vote for her, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told the media.  

In a veiled attack on the BJP, he said the entire controversy was the ruling government's campaign run by a section of media.

Veteran Congress Party leader Ashok Gehlot was trending on Twitter for a comment he made at a recent AICC press conference.

Ashok Gehlot on Friday said the party gives a lot of importance to the youth and priority will be given to them in ticket distribution for assembly polls in the state.

Gehlot replaced Gurudas Kamat, who has handled the party's affairs till now. Kamat has had internal problems within the party in Maharashtra after the Congress' debacle in state civic polls.