Pushkar, June 24: Rain brought the Gujjar gathering of not less than a lakh to a forced halt, but not before Colonel Kirori Lal Baisna — the face of the community’s agitation for the rest of the country — had stunned all those present.

“I want to tell you all… I am never going to stand for elections. I will stay away from elections. That is one assurance I give you,” said the man known to his “troops” as Colonel saab, sending the crowd that was clapping at every second word into shocked silence.

The crowd included better known luminaries — Congress MP Sachin Pilot and his mother Rama, and rebel BJP MLAs — but if the response that Baisna receives among the Gujjars is an indicator, there is little doubt that he controls the “hearts and minds” of the community.

To many in the crowd that braved indecisive weather gods — blazing sun and intermittent rain alternated — Baisna’s announcement was a balidaan (sacrifice) similar to the one Sonia Gandhi made when the Congress president turned down the Prime Minister’s chair in 2004.

“If Colonel saab stood for elections right now as an Independent, he would beat even Sachin Pilot,” an old man whispered to this correspondent through the silence, in heavily accented Hindi.

“After all, he is the one who has raised awareness among the community about its rights. He is our undisputed leader,” he added.

Baisna had indicated his “dislike” for politics earlier, but his announcement today was clearly aimed at countering those who have been arguing that he led the Gujjar agitation because of “political ambitions”.

It is likely to help him strengthen his position as the single most influential Gujjar leader in Rajasthan as the community is traditional, and draws inspiration from what it views as a sacrifice.