Rajasthan Cabinet expansion: Former Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and senior BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena were among 12 MLAs sworn in as cabinet ministers in the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led BJP government in Rajasthan today. In addition, 10 ministers of state were also inducted into the government during a ceremony at the Raj Bhawan.
Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was not present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Governor Kalraj Mishra administered the oath of office to the new ministers. The MLAs inducted into the Rajasthan cabinet are Meena, Madan Dilawar, Rathore, Gajendra Singh Khimsar, Babulal Kharadi, Jogaram Patel, Suresh Singh Rawat, Avinash Gehlot, Joraram Kumawat, Hemant Meena, Kanhaiya Lal Choudhary and Sumit Godara.
Sanjay Sharma, Gautam Kumar Dak, Jhabar Singh Kharra, Surendra Pal Singh and Heeralal Nagar took oath as ministers of state (independent charge).
Otaram Dewasi, Manju Baghmar, Vijay Singh Choudhary, K K Vishnoi and Jawahar Singh Bedham were made ministers of state.
Kirodi Lal Meena, a six-time MLA, is representing the Sawai Madhopur assembly seat. He is also a two-time Lok Sabha MP and one-time Rajya Sabha MP.
Gajendra Singh Khimsar, a four-time MLA, represents the Lohawat constituency of Jodhpur district. He is also a former minister.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who won from the Jhotwara assembly seat, is a former Union minister and two-time Lok Sabha MP from the Jaipur Rural seat. He is a first-time MLA. Rathore is an Olympic medallist and former Army officer.
Babulal Kharadi, a four-time MLA, is representing the Jhadol assembly seat of Udaipur.
Ramganj Mandi MLA Madan Dilawar is a six-time legislator and former minister. He currently is the BJP's state general secretary.
Suresh Singh Rawat is a legislator from Pushkar. A three-time MLA, Rawat has been a parliamentary secretary.
Two-time MLA Avinash Gehlot represents the Jaitaran seat of Pali district. Two-time MLA Joraram Kumawat represents the Sumerpur seat of Pali.
Hemant Meena is a first-time MLA from Pratapgarh. He is the son of former minister Nandlal Meena.
Kanhaiya Lal Chaudhary is also a three-time MLA from Malpura (Tonk). Another cabinet minister Sumit Godara, a second-time MLA, is representing the Lunkaransar seat of Bikaner district.
Ministers of State Sanjay Sharma, Gautam Kumar Dak (Badi Sadri), Jhabar Singh Kharra (Srimadhopur) and Heeralal Nagar (Sangod) are two-time MLAs.
BJP candidate from Karanpur Surendra Pal Singh, a former minister, was also inducted as an MoS (independent charge). Polling in this assembly segment will be held on January 5.
Otaram Dewasi, a three-time MLA, was the minister of state in the former BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje. He is from the Sirohi constituency.
Manju Bghmar, a Dalit face, is representing the Jayal seat of Nagaur district. MoS Vijay Singh Chaudhary, a two-time MLA, is representing the Nawan (Nagaur) seat.
KK Vishnoi (Gudhamalani) and Jawahar Singh Bedham (Nagar) are first-time MLAs. Voting was held on November 25 for 199 out of 200 assembly seats in the state. The results were announced on December 3.
In the assembly elections, the BJP won 115 seats and the Congress 69. Bhajan Lal Sharma took oath as the chief minister on December 15. MLAs Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa were made deputy chief ministers.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma paid a courtesy visit to Governor Kalraj Mishra.
Earlier, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma travelled to Delhi to meet the BJP high-command ahead of the Cabinet expansion. The BJP stormed to power in the state, securing 115 seats in the 200-member House on December 3. After nine days, the party declared first-time MLA Sharma as chief minister and Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa as his deputies.
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