BJP drops another surprise: Grass-roots worker, first-time MLA is new Rajasthan CM

Raje, who harboured hopes of becoming CM and had BJP MLAs making a beeline to meet her since the results, announced Sharma’s name at the legislature party meeting held in the presence of central observers. The other MLAs seconded the proposal, making the Sanganer MLA whose name did not figure among the probables being talked about, the new CM of Rajasthan.

Incidentally, as the state general secretary, Sharma had called Tuesday’s meeting. A photo prior to the meeting had him standing in the last row.

Raje was handed over a slip of paper, apparently with Sharma’s name, by Rajnath, and she made the announcement.

The BJP also announced two Deputy CMs, Vidyadhar Nagar MLA Diya Kumari and Dudu MLA Dr Prem Chand Bairwa – all the three top posts will hence be represented now by legislators whose seats fall within Jaipur district.

The choice of Diya Kumari, who as a woman leader of royal descent was seen as a challenger to Raje, indicates an attempt to fill the void left by Raje’s sidelining within the party.

While Sharma is a Brahmin, Kumari is a Rajput and Bairwa a Dalit, a mix of different castes, which the BJP has also gone in for in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In Chhattisgarh, its CM-elect is tribal leader Vishnu Deo Sai (59), while the Deputy CMs are expected to be a Brahmin and an OBC; in Madhya Pradesh, the party has picked Mohan Yadav (58), an OBC, as CM, with a Dalit and a Brahmin as Deputy CMs.

Sharma defeated Pushpendra Bhardwaj of the Congress by 48,081 votes from Sanganer, while Kumari registered the highest victory margin in Rajasthan this time, 71,368 votes. Bairwa defeated Babulal Nagar of the Congress by 35,743 votes.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, one of the three central observers, said Sharma’s name was “unanimously accepted by all the MLAs”. “I am confident that Rajasthan will progress rapidly under the leadership of Bhajan Lal Sharma. All the workers have extended their hearty congratulations to him.”

In his brief remarks, Sharma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president J P Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and Rajnath, among others, and said: “I want to assure that this Rajasthan team, along with all our MLAs, will carry out all-round development of Rajasthan under the leadership of PM Modi.”

Later, Rajnath and Rajasthan BJP president C P Joshi led a delegation to Raj Bhawan where they presented Sharma’s name as their choice for CM, and handed over the list of the party’s 115 newly elected MLAs.

Raj Bhawan officials said Governor Kalraj Mishra has invited Sharma to take oath as the CM.

The new Speaker will be Vasudev Devnani, the MLA from Ajmer North, who hails from the Sindhi community and was the Education Minister under Raje.

Despite Sharma’s name coming as a surprise, BJP MLAs and workers were unanimous Tuesday that the choice reflected that the party rewarded hard work and simplicity.

The only person whose name did not come as a surprise Tuesday was Diya Kumari, who was being talked about as a possible CM.

Sharma, whose election affidavit says he is an MA in political science, runs a business. But while he won his first Assembly election this time, he has been in politics for 34 years and was associated with the RSS student wing ABVP in various capacities before moving on to the BJP’s youth outfit Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, holding several posts.

Hailing originally from Nadbai in Bharatpur district, he is seen as having risen from the grass-roots, becoming a sarpanch at the age of 27, and later rising to party state vice-president and state general secretary. In party circles, he is known as a dedicated party worker.

Talking to journalists, his wife Geeta Sharma said Tuesday that her husband’s dedication to the party meant he hardly gave much time to home. The couple have two sons.

Importantly for BJP, the transition appears to have gone off smoothly, after the Raje camp had given signs of putting up a resistance. In fact, given Raje’s popularity (her camp said she personally campaigned for close to 50 leaders, of whom 35 won), the BJP moved to Rajasthan at the end, after making it amply clear that it will opt for a fresh face as CM through its Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh picks.

Rajnath Singh, a Raje contemporary from the pre-Modi era, was chosen to smooth out any creases and get the optics right. Raje was present to receive the Defence Minister at the Jaipur airport, and the two had a long meeting at his hotel before leaving for the party office in the same vehicle.

In the photo-shoot before the meeting, Raje was seated next to Rajnath, the same as at the legislature party meeting. She also accompanied Sharma and the others to the Raj Bhawan.