Jaipur, December 29: Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Saturday will expand his Cabinet with Governor Kalraj Mishra administering the oath to the new ministers. CM Sharma took the oath of office and secrecy on December 15. The cabinet expansion is scheduled to happen 15 days after he was sworn-in as chief minister.

According to sources and speculation making the rounds, the first-term as well as second-time MLAs stand a good chance of being inducted into the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led Cabinet. Besides, senior leaders are also likely to get a place. Bhajanlal Sharma Swearing-In Ceremony: BJP Leader Takes Oath As New CM of Rajasthan (Watch Video).

Some senior MLAs who are among probable candidates include Kirori Lal Meena, one of the most prominent leaders of the eastern region of Rajasthan. Hindutva face and Tijara MLA Baba Balaknath is also expected to be a part of the Cabinet.

Among the women leaders, all eyes were on Anita Bhadel, Deepti Maheshwari and first-time MLA Nauksham Chaudhary. Jitendra Gothwal and senior MLA Madan Dilawar from the Dalit community could also be made ministers. Senior MLAs of the Rajput community like Pushpendra Singh Ranaut and Siddhi Kumari are hopeful of becoming ministers. Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma Offers Prayers at Giriraj Parikrama Marg Shrinathji Temple in Mathura (Watch Video).

Meanwhile, the Brahmin community leaders are also hopeful of getting a seat or two in the Cabinet. According to sources, names of MLAs like Sanjay Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, Jethanand Vyas among others are making the rounds.

An analyst said that in the new Cabinet, most of the attention is likely to be given to representation to the Jat community. CM Sharma took the oath of office and secrecy on December 15. Along with him, Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa were sworn in as Deputy CMs.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President JP Nadda and chief ministers of many BJP-ruled states. After taking the oath, CM Bhajan Lal Sharma had said: "We will leave no stone unturned to make Rajasthan the best, prosperous and self-reliant state."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 29, 2023 10:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).