Jaipur: The Rajasthan cabinet of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma was expanded on Saturday, with 22 new ministers taking oath at the Raj Bhavan. Governor Kalraj Mishra administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers, who included 12 cabinet ministers, five ministers of state with independent charge, and five ministers of state.
The new cabinet ministers are:
- Kirori Lal Meena, a veteran leader of the Meena community and a former Union minister
- Gajendra Singh Khinvsar, a former deputy chief minister and a loyalist of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje
- Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, a former Union minister and an Olympic silver medalist in shooting
- Babulal Kharadi, a four-time MLA from Fatehpur and a former minister of state
- Madan Dilawar, a three-time MLA from Kota North and a former speaker of the assembly
- Kanhaiya Lal Chaudhary, a two-time MLA from Lunkaransar and a former minister of state
- Sumit Godara, a first-time MLA from Lohawat and a young leader of the Jat community
- Jogaram Patel, a first-time MLA from Bhopalgarh and a leader of the Mali community
- Suresh Singh Rawat, a first-time MLA from Pushkar and a leader of the Rajput community
- Avinash Gehlot, a first-time MLA from Makrana and a leader of the Brahmin community
- Joraram Kumawat, a first-time MLA from Dudu and a leader of the Kumawat community
- Hemant Meena, a first-time MLA from Pratapgarh and a relative of Kirori Lal Meena
The new ministers of state with independent charge are:
- Sanjay Sharma, a two-time MLA from Alwar Rural and a former minister of state
- Gautam Kumar, a first-time MLA from Kishangarh and a leader of the Vaishya community
- Jhabar Singh Kharra, a first-time MLA from Khetri and a leader of the Gurjar community
- Surendra Pal Singh, a three-time MLA from Karanpur and a former minister of state
- Hiralal Nagar, a first-time MLA from Ladnun and a leader of the Meghwal community
The new ministers of state are:
- Otaram Dewasi, a two-time MLA from Sirohi and a former minister of state
- Dr. Manju Baghmar, a first-time MLA from Sojat and a leader of the Sindhi community
- Vijay Singh Chaudhary, a first-time MLA from Nohar and a leader of the Jat community
- KK Bishnoi, a first-time MLA from Kolayat and a leader of the Bishnoi community
- Jawahar Singh Bedham, a first-time MLA from Khandela and a leader of the Jatav community
Bhajan Lal Sharma Became Chief Minister
Bhajan Lal Sharma, a four-time MLA from Churu and a former minister of state, became the chief minister of Rajasthan on December 15, after leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a thumping victory in the assembly elections. The BJP won 138 out of 199 seats, while the Congress was reduced to 49 seats. Along with Sharma, two newly elected MLAs, Diya Kumari from Rajsamand and Premchand Bairwa from Kishanganj, were made deputy chief ministers.
The election for the remaining seat of Karanpur was postponed due to the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Kunnar, who succumbed to COVID-19 on November 23. The voting for this seat will take place on January 5, 2024. The BJP has fielded former minister Surendra Pal Singh, while the Congress has nominated Kunnar’s son Rupinder Singh as its candidate.
