New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) on Tuesday named Bhajanlal Sharma, a first-time MLA from Sanganer, as the next Chief Minister of Rajasthan. The announcement comes after a crucial legislature party meeting on Tuesday.
BJP central observer Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and two co-observers -- national vice president Saroj Pandey and national general secretary Vinod Tawde were present in the meeting.
Addressing a press conference, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that former CM Vasundhara Raje proposed Bhajanlal Sharma’s name during a meeting of the newly-elected legislators, and his name was agreed to unanimously.
Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Union ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Ashwini Vaishnaw were among the frontrunners for the top post.
Sharma, who hails from Bharatpur, is known to have a close association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Rajasthan's New CM: Who Is Bhajan Lal Sharma
56-year-old Bhajanlal Sharma is a first-time MLA and won the Sanganer seat in the recently held Rajasthan polls. He defeated Pushpendra Bhardwaj, the candidate from the Indian National Congress (INC), with a margin of 48,081 votes despite being labelled as an outsider.
Sharma has been the state general secretary for the past 20 years under four state BJP Presidents -- Ashok Parnami, Madan Lal Saini, Satish Poonia, and C.P. Joshi, reported IANS.
Sharma is known to be close to the RSS as well as the BJP leadership.
The appointment of Bhajanlal Sharma as CM is being seen as BJP's outreach to the Brahmin community in Rajasthan. Brahmins comprise around seven per cent of the population in the desert state.
According to the affidavit filed with the Election Commission, Sharma holds a Masters degree in politics from Rajasthan University. He has one criminal case registered against him and has assets worth Rs 1.4 crore, which includes Rs 43.6 lakh in moveable assets and Rs 1 crore in immovable assets.
On Sunday, the BJP announced Vishnu Deo Sai as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh, and on Monday, the party named Mohan Yadav as his Madhya Pradesh counterpart.