The BJP on Tuesday picked first-time MLA Bhajan Lal Sharma as Rajasthan’s new chief minister, ending days of speculation that followed its victory in the assembly polls.
Hailing from Nadbai in Bharatpur district, Sharma was fielded as the BJP candidate from Sanganer, where he defeated Congress’s Pushpendra Bhardwaj with a margin of 48,081 votes.
Sharma has been with the BJP in Rajasthan for almost two decades with some describing him as the longest serving general secretary in the party.
Here is all you need to know about new Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma:
DETAILS
| Name | Bhajan Lal Sharma |
| Date of Birth | 15 December 1967 |
| Birthplace | Atari Nadbai, Bharatpur |
| Education | MA in Political Science |
| Spouse | Geeta Sharma |
| Children | 2 Sons |
EDUCATION
Bhajan Lal Sharma is a postgraduate in Political Science from Rajasthan University, Jaipur. He went for schooling in the Bharatpur district’s Atari village and Nadbai town. He runs an agriculture supplies business.
POLITICAL CAREER
- Considered a hardcore RSS man, Sharma was actively involved in the agitation for the Ram temple in Ayodhya at the site where the Babri mosque stood. In 1992, he spent time in jail for this.
- He also became the village sarpanch twice, starting at the age of 27.
- He also joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and also took up social causes in Nabadi and Bharatpur.
- Over the past three decades, Sharma has held various posts in the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and in the party organisation.
- Sharma actively participated in the 1990 ABVP protest in which thousands of students from across the country gathered in Jammu to march towards Srinagar.
- Sharma then moved on to the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP’s youth wing. He was BJYM’s district president thrice before becoming the parent party’s Bharatpur district secretary and its district president.
- Leaving Bharatpur for the BJP’s Rajasthan headquarter, Sharma became the party’s state vice president, and is now a general secretary in the state BJP.
- Bhajan Lal Sharma, a first time MLA, won the Jaipur’s Sanganer constituency with a margin of 48,081 votes. Sharma belongs to Bharatpur but was given a ticket from Sanganer after denying a ticket to sitting MLA Ashok Lahoty.
- A group photo taken at the BJP office here ahead of Tuesday’s legislature party meeting showed Bhajan Lal Sharma in the very last row. An hour or so later, he had jumped places to front and centre stage.
Other Facts
- According to local BJP leaders, Bhajan Lal Sharma, as party general secretary, was instrumental in expanding the BJP’s base and keeping party workers active during the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government, which led to BJP’s victory in the state.
- Bhajan Lal Sharma is considered within the party to be the ‘go-to man’ when it comes to organisational matters.
- His total declared assets are Rs 1.5 crore, which includes Rs 43.6 lakh in moveable assets and Rs 1 crore as immovable assets.
- Sharma belongs to Bharatpur, but he was given a ticket from Sanganer after denying a ticket to sitting MLA Ashok Lahoty.
- He has been the longest serving General Secretary in Rajasthan BJP and he belong to Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).