THE BJP on Tuesday picked first-time MLA Bhajan Lal Sharma as Rajasthan’s new Chief Minister, ending days of speculation that followed its victory in the Assembly polls. The surprise choice was announced after BJP MLAs met here and elected the 56-year-old legislator from Sanganer as the leader of its legislature party. He is at present a Rajasthan BJP General Secretary. Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa will be the Deputy Chief Ministers and Vasudev Devnani the Speaker of the State Assembly, said senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh, who led a team of three party central observers to oversee the meeting. Following the meeting at the BJP office here, Chief Minister-designate Sharma met Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and staked claim to form the next Government in the State. Party sources said the oath taking ceremony is likely to take place on December 15. The BJP won 115 seats in the November 25 assembly elections, while the Congress got 69 seats.

 

Polling was held on 199 of the 200 seats in the State. BJP state president CP Joshi presented a letter to the Governor, informing that Sharma has been elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in the state, according to a Raj Bhawan statement. Kumari is a member of the erstwhile Jaipur royal family and a Rajput, while Bairwa a Dalit leader and Sharma a Brahmin. Vasudev Devnani is from the Sindhi community. At the meeting, the CM-designate’s name was proposed by former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who was herself considered to be in the running for the top post. Sharma is the third in the series of little known MLAs who have been elevated by the BJP to the chief minister’s post after the recently held assembly elections, ignoring state stalwarts. The others are Vishnu Deo Sai, who has been picked as the CM-designate for Chhattisgarh, and Mohan Yadav, who has been picked for the post in Madhya Pradesh. Elections were held between November 7 and November 30 in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.

 

The Congress won in Telangana and the Zoram People’s Movement in Mizoram. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-backed Sharma won the Sanganer constituency with a margin of 48,081 votes. Sharma, who belongs to Bharatpur district, holds a master’s degree in political science. He thanked the BJP leadership for giving a “chance” to the son of a farmer and said the party takes care of its workers. “The BJP is the only party which gives opportunities to its workers. I would like to thank the party’s national and state leadership for giving a chance to the son of a farmer,” Sharma said. “The BJP is a party that takes care of its workers. The party has honoured a small worker of the organisation. I am thankful for it,” he told reporters at the BJP office. Gehlot congratulates BJP’s CM-designate Bhajan Lal Sharma: OUTGOING Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday congratulated Bhajan Lal Sharma on becoming the leader of the BJP legislature party. The Congress leader expressed hope that Sharma as the Chief Minister will maintain the pace of development and play a play a role in fulfilling the goal of making Rajasthan the country’s number one state. “Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Bhajan Lal Sharma on becoming the leader of the BJP legislature party. I hope that while working as the chief minister of Rajasthan, you will maintain the pace of development and play a role in fulfilling the goal of making Rajasthan the number 1 state of the country,” Gehlot said in a post on X.