Bhajan Lal Sharma Turns Rajasthan CM on Birthday

New Delhi/Jaipur: The BJP top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, top Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and some others, as well as party president J.P. Nadda and several Union ministers and the chief ministers of the party-ruled states, attended the swearing-in ceremony of new Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma in Jaipur.

Along with Mr Sharma, Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa, the two new deputy chief ministers of Rajasthan, also took the oath at the ceremony in front of the iconic Albert Hall at noon. Governor Kalraj Mishra administered the oath of office to the three.

Former Rajasthan chief minister and Congress stalwart Ashok Gehlot also shared the dais with the BJP leaders, including Nitin Gadkari, Bishweshwar Tudu, among others, at the ceremony.

Incidentally, it was also the birthday of the new chief minister, whom Mr Modi in his birthday wishes described as a “dedicated party karyakarta” who has made “commendable efforts to strengthen the BJP across the state”.

“Birthday greetings to Rajasthan’s CM Shri Bhajan Lal Sharma Ji. A dedicated party karyakarta for years, he has made commendable efforts to strengthen the BJP across the state. As he embarks on his chief ministerial journey, I wish him the very best in fulfilling people’s aspirations,” the PM said on X.  

The Prime Minister also conveyed his wishes to the two deputy chief ministers and expressed confidence that Rajasthan, known for its brave people, will set new standards in good governance, prosperity and development under their leadership.

Ahead of the ceremony, Mr Sharma offered prayers at the Govind Devji temple in the state capital and fed cows at the Pinjrapol Gaushala on Tonk road. His family members and supporters also accompanied him. Mr Sharma visited another temple after this.

The BJP leader then went to his residence at Balaji Tower near the Jawahar Circle, where he sought the blessings of his parents. He also visited a Shiv temple on the premises before leaving for the oath-taking ceremony. Massive security and seating arrangements were made at the venue.

All main roads leading to the venue were decorated with posters and banners of various Central government welfare schemes as well as the leaders’ cutouts.

The BJP won 115 seats in the November 25 Assembly elections, while the Congress got 69 seats. Polling was held in 199 of the 200 Assembly seats in the state.

Mr Sharma, a first-time MLA, was announced as the chief minister-designate during a BJP legislature party meeting on Tuesday in the presence of the party’s central observers — Rajnath Singh, Saroj Pandey and Vinod Tawde. At the meeting, Ms Kumari (MLA from Vidhyadhar Nagar) and Mr Bairwa (MLA from Dudu) were announced as the picks for deputy chief ministers. Ajmer North MLA Vasudev Devnani picked as the Speaker of the Assembly.