- By Kamal Kumar
- Wed, 13 Dec 2023 07:03 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Rajasthan New CM: After a long and nervous wait, the Bharatiya Janta Party announced the name of senior party leader Bhajanlal Sharma as the new Chief Minister of Rajasthan. He had won the Sanganer Assembly constituency by defeating Pushpendra Bhardwaj of the Congress.
In the announcement of Bhajan Lal Sharma as the party's choice for the Chief Ministerial position, Defence Minister and senior party leader Rajnath Singh said that the proposal for Sharma's name came from none other than the former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
"The legislature party meeting of the Rajasthan BJP was held today. Former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje has proposed the name of Bhajanlal Sharma as the leader of the legislative party, which was agreed upon unanimously," Union Minister Rajnath Singh said in a press conference in Jaipur.
Rajnath Singh was among the three party observers tasked by the high command to oversee the selection of the new CM.
Who Is Bhajanlal Sharma?
Hailing from Bharatpur, Bhajan Lal Sharma is a seasoned politician and a dedicated member of the saffron party, with a substantial history of service within the organisation. Previously serving as the state general secretary, the 2023 assembly election was a first for Sharma who took on the challenge of contesting election from the Sanganer constituency of Jaipur.
The BJP had fielded Sharma from a traditionally secure seat, replacing the incumbent MLA, Ashok Lahoti, against Congress' Pushpendra Bhardwaj. Sanganer considered a stronghold for the BJP, witnessed a fiercely contested battle in which Bhajan Lal Sharma defeated the Congress candidate with a margin of 48,081 votes.
The BJP Legislature Party meeting in Jaipur today concluded with the finalisation of the Rajasthan Chief Minister's name. All 115 BJP MLAs attended the crucial meeting, where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Rajya Sabha member Saroj Pandey, and BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde were already present as observers.
The party, victorious in the December 3 Rajasthan Assembly polls, had kept the potential CM names under wraps. Following the trend in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, where new faces were chosen, the BJP announced Bhajanlal Sharma as the new Chief Minister for Rajasthan. The BJP secured a clear majority in all three states, displacing Congress in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.