Rajasthan’s other Deputy CM: Who is Prem Chand Bairwa?

Bairwa had previously been an MLA from Dudu in 2013, but was defeated in the 2018 Assembly elections by Congress rebel Babu Lal Nagar who had contested as an Indepednent. Dudu is known as the area of influence for local strongman Nagar, who has been elected to the Assembly five times from the constituency.

In this year’s elections, Bairwa reclaimed Dudu by defeating Nagar — now contesting on a Congress ticket — from the seat with a margin of ovber 35,000 votes.

State BJP leaders say Bairwa, who holds a PhD degree, has a reputation of working dedicatedly for the organisation.

“Bairwa has previously been a member of the Dudu Zila Parishad and is also a member of the national body of the BJP’s SC Morcha. He is known to talk less, maintain a low profile and toil in the party organisation,” said former Jaipur rural BJP president Jitendra Sharma.

By making Bairwa, a Dalit the deputy CM along with Diya Kumari, a Rajput face, the BJP hopes to get its caste arithmetic right in Rajasthan, which has a population of over 17 per cent.

One of the main issues which were part of the campaign plank of the BJP in Rajasthan was atrocities against Dalits, which also explains why picking a Dalit deputy chief minister will further put the party in a favourable position among the Scheduled Caste community, who are traditional voters of the Congress.