Rajasthan CM announcement: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday declared Bhajanlal Sharma, a first-time MLA from the Sanganer Assembly constituency and general secretary of the party’s state unit as its choice for Rajasthan Chief Minister. The decision was announced after a meeting of the party’s newly elected legislators in the state’s capital Jaipur. Diya Kumari, a Rajput from the Jaipur royal family, and Prem Chand Bairwa, a Dalit face, have been appointed as Deputy chief ministers.

A team of central observers, including Rajnath Singh, Vinod Tawde and Saroj Pandey was present at the meeting of the legislature party of the state. The announcement comes following several rounds of deliberations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party leaders Amit Shah and JP Nadda. Like the announcements in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the decision in Rajasthan appears to be in line with the party’s focus on the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

The decision comes nine days after the BJP emerged victorious in the recently-concluded Rajasthan Assembly elections. The party bagged 115 of 199 seats that went to polls, while the incumbent Congress won 69 seats in the state.

The announcement of the Rajasthan CM follows the party declaring chief ministers in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, the two other states that the party won in the five-state elections. While prominent tribal face Vishnu Deo Sai was chosen as the Chhattisgarh CM, the party picked OBC leader and three-time MLA Mohan Yadav for the post in Madhya Pradesh.

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The declaration of results saw hectic parleys by two-term Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje with the BJP’s top leadership. Raje called on party president Nadda in Delhi and also held one-to-one discussions with party’s observer Rajnath Singh following his arrival in Jaipur earlier today. Other names in the reckoning included Arjun Ram Meghwal, Baba Balaknath and CP Joshi.

Party insiders have long held that the decision on CM names has been taken keeping the Lok Sabha elections in mind where the party hopes to not just get the caste arithmetic right in the states but also send the right message to caste groups in bordering states as well.

The appointment of a tribal leader as the Chhattisgarh CM, for instance, aims to consolidate the BJP’s presence among tribal voters in the state as well as bordering states of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha that have a significant tribal population.

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Similarly, by appointing Mohan Yadav, an OBC leader, as the CM in MP, the party hopes to keep its existing Yadav vote intact while hoping to woo the Yadav community in the heartland states of Bihar and UP where the community holds sway.

The Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh Chief Ministers will take oath of office on Wednesday, December 13. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the event along with top central leaders of the BJP.

With Sharma, a Brahmin face as its Rajasthan Chief Minister pick, the BJP hopes to consolidate the traditional vote base in the state, while striking the right balance with Diya Kumari, a Rajput face, and Prem Chand Bairwa, a Scheduled Caste, as deputy chief ministers.