Who is Bhajan Lal Sharma? The first-time MLA from Sanganer who was never in race to become Rajasthan CM

The BJP is on a surprise spree. Like in the cases of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, it sprung one more surprise on Tuesday when it appointed the first-time MLA from Sanganer, Bhajan Lal Sharma, as the 13th chief minister of Rajasthan. The BJP, earlier, surprised political pundits as the party picked Mohan Yadav as the Madhya Pradesh CM and Vishnu Deo Sai as the CM of Chhattisgarh.

Before the BJP surprisingly picked Bhajan Lal Sharma, stalwarts like Vasundhara Raje, Mahant Balaknath, Diya Kumari, and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were in the race to become the 13th chief minister of Rajasthan. Photo: File

The name of the Chief Minister in Rajasthan has been declared. No one in their wildest imagination would have thought that a first-time MLA would become the chief minister of the largest state in India. But the BJP surprised many of its own party leaders on Tuesday as it picked Bhajan Lal Sharma, a first-time MLA from the Sanganer constituency, as the 13th chief minister of the state. Who is Bhajan Lal Sharma, the new CM of Rajasthan? We will explain in this write-up.

Bhajan Lal Sharma, a first-time MLA

Sharma won the Sanganer assembly seat by a massive margin in the 2023 Rajasthan assembly elections.

He secured 145162 votes to beat the Congress' Pushpendra Bhardwaj, who got 97081 votes.

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Sharma has been the state general secretary of the BJP four times.

Originally from Bharatpur, Sharma has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Sharma's seat in Sanganer is called the stronghold of the BJP. The party had fielded him for the first time from a safe seat like Sanganer in Jaipur.

Sharma was made the candidate by cancelling the ticket of the previous MLA.

Sharma is considered close to both the Sangh and the organisation.

Former CM Vasundhara Raje proposed his name, and he was selected unanimously.

Sharma beats stalwarts in the CM race

Before the BJP surprisingly picked Sharma, stalwarts like Vasundhara Raje, Mahant Balaknath, Diya Kumari, and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were in the race to become the 13th chief minister of Rajasthan.

But the BJP once again surprised everyone by giving the go-ahead to Sharma.

Like in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, the formula of two deputy CMs has also been adopted in Rajasthan.

Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa have been appointed Deputy CMs.

In the 2023 Rajasthan assembly elections, the BJP won a majority by winning 115 seats in a 200-member assembly.

However, the election was contested in one seat because of the demise of the Congress contestant.

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