JAIPUR: Ending 10 days of speculation after its victory in the Assembly polls on December 3, the BJP on Tuesday picked debutant MLA Bhajan Lal Sharma, 56, as Rajasthan’s new chief minister. The surprise decision was made during a legislature party meeting held on Tuesday at the Rajasthan BJP headquarters, where the name put forth by the BJP’s central leadership was unanimously accepted.
A low-profile political worker, Sharma was serving as the BJP state general secretary when he successfully contested the Brahmin-dominated Sanganer seat in Jaipur, defeating Congress’s Pushpendra Bhardwaj by over 48,000 votes.
Speaking to reporters after the legislature party meeting, Rajnath Singh said Rajasthan will have two deputy CMs — Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa — while Vasudev Devnani will be the new Speaker.
According to party sources, Sharma’s ascension to the post of CM will bring a fresh perspective to the political landscape of Rajasthan. The BJP’s top leadership had pre-approved his nomination for the top post and the decision was adopted unanimously.
The decision-making process involved key party figures, notably Union defence minister Rajnath Singh, who, prior to the meeting, sat down with former CM Vasundhara Raje for a chat. Sources said Singh told her that she wouldn’t be made the CM and persuaded her to propose the new CM’s name in the meeting.
When Raje proposed Sharma’s name, there was total silence. Singh said: “If there is any other name, the MLAs can speak up.” However, nobody proposed any another name.
The BJP’s decision is a careful play of caste cards, representing a Brahmin (Bhajan Lal Sharma), Rajput (Diya Kumari), and Dalit (Prem Chand Bairwa) in key positions. This marks the first time in 33 years that a Brahmin leader becomes a CM in Rajasthan. The last Brahmin CM was Congress leader Haridev Joshi, who held the position thrice. Rajasthan has around 13% Brahmin population and sources say the latest move is a message to upper caste voters.