Bhajanlal Sharma makes a grand debut at the legislative assembly as the 14th Chief Minister of Rajasthan. He is accompanied by two Deputy Chief Ministers, Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa.
Bhajanlal Sharma, clicked during 2023 Lok Sabha election campaigning in Rajasthan; Source X
Jaipur: In yet another surprise, BJP picked the first-time MLA Bhajanlal Sharma as the state’s new Chief Minister. The announcement, made by the Union Minister Rajnath Singh, came following a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs on Tuesday. Although a new face in the legislature, the 56-year-old is one of the longest-serving general secretaries of the party in Rajasthan.
Bhajanlal Sharma fought from Sanganer to win the battle for the assembly seat, garnering 1,45,162 votes with a majority of 48,081. This is also the saffron party’s return to dominance in the state, winning 115 out of the total 199 seats. Sharma’s appointment comes as a shocker since popular faces like Mahant Balaknath and Vasundhara Raje were speculated to be the top contenders for the post. It has been stated that Sharma’s name was proposed by Raje herself.
The CM-designate will be aided in service by Vidyadhar Nagar MLA Princess Diya Kumari and Dudu MLA Premchand Bairwa, who are to be sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers. BJP managed to play the balance game well by bringing in representation from different sections.
Sharma, along with the two Deputy CMs, met Governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhavan, staking claim to form government. As per reports, the swearing-in ceremony will take place on December 15. In a brief interaction with the press, Bhajanlal stated that the MLAs would meet the expectations of the people.
Bhajanlal Sharma, Source X
Bhajanlal Sharma: Journey at a Glance
Bhajanlal Sharma, a four-time State General Secretary of Rajasthan, has a humble beginning. Hailing from Bharatpur, he used to be affiliated with the the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the ideological mentor of BJP, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He had been sentenced to imprisonment during the Ayodhya agitation.
During 1991-1992, he earned the membership of BJP’s youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, and eventually became its unit president. At 27, he became the sarpanch for the first time and served two consecutive terms. He has held several positions including BJP district secretary, district unit president and the State unit vice president.
Bhajanlal Sharma was interested in contesting from Bharatpur in the 2023 Lok Sabha elections. However, his request was denied as the region is dominated by Dalits and OBCs and the probability of winning was perceived to be slim for a candidate coming from a “high-caste” background. Sharma contested from Sanganer constituency and secured the seat, earning 48,081 more seats than his opponent from INC.
A postgraduate in Political Science, he has an accumulated wealth of around ₹1.5 crore. It is his strong command over organisational matters and the impeccable precision in managing rallies of senior leaders that became a contributing factor to his appointment as the Chief Minister, despite having no experience in the legislative assembly.
The BJP, which earned a landslide victory in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in the 2023 assembly elections, has chosen new faces to lead all three states. While tribal leader Vishnu Deo Sai was made the Chief Minister of Chattisgarh, Mohan Yadav, an OBC leader, was appointed the head of Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly. With this, BJP is aiming to take the political game to the next level.
