Ashok Gehlot Biography

Ashok Gehlot became the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for his second term on December 13, 2008. The long term member of the Indian National Congress, active in politics since student days, is a five time Lok Sabha member from Jodhpur. He has served as a Union Minister in the cabinets of Indira Gandhi, her son Rajiv Gandhi, and then PV Narsimha Rao.

He was elected to the 13th legislative Assembly elections in 2008 from Sardarpura, Jodhpur on a Congress ticket.

Background
Born on May 3, 1951 at Jodhpur Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot holds a Science and Law degree apart from an MA in Economics.
The socially conscious, self proclaimed Gandhian volunteered in the refugee camps in the 1971 Bangladesh war. He became the president of the NSUI, the youth wing of the Congress party, in 1973 and remained so till 1979. He then went on to become the district Congress Committee President and the state Congress Committee chief.

He is married to Sunita Gehlot. They have a daughter and a son.

Political Career

He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980 from Jodhpur parliamentary constituency. He represented this parliamentary constituency again in the 8th Lok Sabha in 1984. He repeated the feat by getting elected to the 10th Lok Sabha in 1991 and the 11th Lok Sabha in 1996. He was elected to his fifth term as member of the parliament in 1998 in the 12th Lok Sabha.

He served as Union minister of Tourism under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982, and was subsequently Minister of State for Sports in 1984. He became the Rajasthan State Congress president in 1985, at a youthful 34 years.

He also served for a short spell as Home Minister of Rajasthan in 1989.

In 1991, he was appointed Union Minister of State for Textiles; he served as Minister for two years.

He was elected to his second term as Rajasthan State Congress President in 1994 and he held that post till 1999.

In 1999 he opened his account as a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the 11th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Sardarpura in Jodhpur. He was reelected from the same constituency in 2003 and 2008.

In 1999 he became the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and remained till 2003. Rajasthan battled its worst drought during this period.

While a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, he was also inducted into the All India Congress Committee. Beginning as a special invitee in January 2004, he went on to become the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee in July 2004 and held the post till February2009.

On December 13, 2008, he was elected to his second term as Chief Minister of Rajasthan.