The recently elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan are set to convene a meeting on Tuesday. During this gathering, they are anticipated to designate the leader of the legislative party, thereby putting an end to the days of speculation surrounding the identity of the chief minister.
According to insiders within the party, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, appointed as an observer by the party, along with co-observers Vinod Tawde and Saroj Pande, will arrive on Tuesday morning for the 4 pm meeting at the party office.
For real-time updates, stay connected with the latest news on the HT Channel on Facebook. Join Now. BJP State General Secretary and MLA Bhajanlal Sharma announced, \”The meeting of the BJP Legislature Party has been scheduled for 4 pm on Tuesday at the BJP state office. Registration of all newly elected BJP MLAs will commence at 1.30 pm.\”
The BJP reclaimed power in Rajasthan last week by securing 115 seats out of the 199 contested in the November 25 polls.
Leading contenders for the position of chief minister include two-time chief minister Vasundhara Raje, a pivotal figure for the BJP in Rajasthan for the past two decades, and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, renowned for defeating former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlotโs son in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Another contender is Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, a former bureaucrat, while CP Joshi, a two-time parliamentarian from Chittorgarh, is also considered among the potential candidates.
Noteworthy individuals in the race also include Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, National General Secretary Sunil Bansal, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and senior party leader Om Prakash Mathur. Resigned MPs Baba Balaknath, Diya Kumari, and Kirodi Lal Meena are also in contention.
Addressing the possibility of a Dalit leader being chosen as the chief minister, State In-Charge Arun Singh mentioned, \”Everything will be revealed tomorrow.\”
On Monday afternoon, State BJP President CP Joshi met the newly-elected MLAs, accompanied by leaders such as Organization Secretary Chandrashekhar and former MLA Rajendra Rathore. Rathore criticized alleged attempts by party leaders to lobby for the chief ministerโs post, emphasizing the BJP\’s reliance on Prime Minister Narendra Modi\’s image.
Party insiders suggest that the swearing-in ceremony for the chief minister and the council of ministers is likely to take place on Friday.
