'I wanted to be Cong chief, it's a 100 times better job'

One of the most keenly watched electoral fights this year is in Rajasthan, where chief minister Ashok Gehlot is hoping to break a decades-old trend of the incumbent being voted out.

- Sunetra Choudhury and Sachin Saini

With schemes announcing free power, cellphones and cashless insurance up to ₹25 lakh, Gehlot, 73, has forced the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to follow his agenda. Speaking to HT's Sunetra Choudhury and Sachin Saini, Gehlot says he is confident of repeating his 2008 feat of winning 153 seats in the 200member assembly, and also seemed to suggest that his long-running feud with Sachin Pilot is over. Edited excerpts

You are often referred to as a jadugar or magician by political observers. Are you hoping to do some magic in these elections?

I am not doing any magic, our party will benefit from the governance and the work that has been done and I hope that the public's mood will be to repeat the government.

Over the last five years, we have launched so many schemes and that is the reason I think the public will be with us this election.

But Rajasthan has always had a revolving door system.

That (revolving door system) will break this time; the work of our government has reached every village and home. There is the water scheme, roads have reached the farthest villages, education system has been bolstered and now villages have English schools. Villagers have acknowledged the importance of English education; 3 lakh students are studying in English schools and this is an example of how people have responded to our schemes.

Your law protecting gig workers is garnering praise from activists; whose idea was this?

During Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, he held regular interactions with people; some explained these issues then. Gandhi decided that a law should be made on this.

The BJP is claiming these schemes are being launched with an eye on the elections.

This is a misconception.