Jaipur, December 12: After ending days of speculation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, December 12, announced the name of Bhajan Lal Sharma as the new Chief Minister of Rajasthan. The surprise announcement came after the BJP MLAs met in Jaipur and elected Bhajan Lal Sharma as the new Chief Minister. Sharma, a first-time MLA, represents the Sanganer constituency and is currently holding a position as a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.

CM-designate Bhajan Lal Sharma defeated the Congress candidate  Pushpendra Bhardwaj with a margin of 48,081 votes in the assembly polls and emerged victorious. According to media reports, his name was proposed by BJP leader and former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje. This marks the end of an era during which, only Congress' Ashok Gehlot and the BJP's Vasundhara Raje took turns in leading the state. Bhajan Lal Sharma Named Next CM of Rajasthan by BJP; Diya Kumari, Prem Chand Bairwa Picked As Deputy Chief Ministers.

Who Is Bhajan Lal Sharma?

The political trajectory of Bhajan Lal Sharma has been marked by noteworthy achievements. The 56-year-old, who is seen as an organisation man, is an upper-caste candidate and has served as the State General Secretary of BJP four times. After the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly Elections, he was elected as an MLA from the Sanganer Assembly constituency. Though he is from Bharatpur, he was not given a ticket from there as the seat was considered challenging to be secured. He eventually clinched a post by securing 145,162 votes against political rival Pushpendra Bhardwaj, who got only 97,081 votes. Bhajanlal Sharma To Be New Rajasthan CM: BJP Announces First-Time MLA From Sanganer as Chief Minister of State.

Rajasthan CM-designate Bhajan Lal Sharma also holds a Masters degree in politics from Rajasthan University. During his college years, he has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He is one of the longest-serving party workers of the BJP. In addition to this, MLA Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa have been appointed as Bhajan Lal Sharma's new deputy chief ministers. Meanwhile, Vasudev Devnani has been appointed as the state assembly speaker.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 12, 2023 06:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).