BJP: While Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Deputy Chief Ministers Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa were sworn in on December 15, uncertainty about additional ministerial faces had been mounting for the past two weeks, with the opposition Congress warning the BJP over the delay.
The BJP plans to rely on new faces
NEARLY A MONTH after the Rajasthan Assembly election results were announced, 22 ministers — 12 with Cabinet rank, five Minister of States (Independent charge), and five Minister of States — took oath on Saturday at the Raj Bhawan.
While Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Deputy Chief Ministers Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa were sworn in on December 15, anticipation about additional ministerial faces had been mounting for the past two weeks, with the opposition Congress threatening the BJP over the delay.
Consistent with the BJP central leadership’s will to choose a new face to lead the state administration, the party has also preferred new faces when selecting ministers.
Only five of the 22 ministers – Cabinet ministers Gajendra Singh Khinvsar, Madan Dilawar, and Kirodi Lal Meena, as well as MoS (Independent charge) Surendra Pal Singh TT and MoS Otaram Dewasi – have served in the state prior to the BJP’s rule.
Notably, Dewasi, a supporter of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, previously managed the Gopalan Ministry, which was responsible for the care of cows in the state during Raje’s second term. Despite his prior knowledge, Dewasi has not been appointed as a Minister of State with independent charge or a cabinet minister.
Other cabinet ministers, such as Dilawar and Meena, are noted Raje critics, with the latter even leaving the BJP in 2008-09 due to differences with the former CM.
Surendra Pal Singh TT, who is not an MLA, was among those sworn in. Surendra Pal Singh is the BJP candidate in the Karanpur Assembly constituency, which was postponed because of the death of the Congress MLA and will now be held on January 5.
The Congress criticized the BJP on Saturday over TT’s swearing-in, claiming the party of breaking the Constitution and attempting to influence voters by appointing him an MLA despite his lack of experience.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, another cabinet member, has already served as a MoS in the Centre but would be holding a ministerial responsibility in the state for the first time.
While top BJP leaders spoke about the party’s involvement in ensuring the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which grants 33% reservation to women in Parliament and state assemblies, Manju Baghmar was the lone woman who took oath as a MoS on Saturday.
Rajasthan now has two female ministers on its council of ministers, one of whom is deputy chief minister Diya Kumari.
The Rajasthan council of ministers now has 25 members, including CM Sharma and deputy CMs Kumari and Bairwa, who were added on Saturday.
The BJP’s focus on non-dominant OBC caste groupings such as Kumawat, Patel, Rawat, Bishnoi, and Mali stands out on the list of newly-elected ministers. Four of the ten Cabinet ministers who took their oaths on Saturday –Joraram Kumawat, Suresh Rawat, KK Vishnoi, Avinash Gehlot, and Jogaram Patel — are from non-dominant OBC groups, a sector that counts among BJP voters.
Traditionally, the Jat community, the state’s major OBC group, voted for the Congress, but in recent years, they have also supported the BJP. On Saturday, four Jat ministers, including two cabinet ministers, were sworn in.
The inclusion of non-dominant OBCs on the council of ministers will help the BJP maintain its vote bank. On Saturday, a minister from the Gujjar community, the state’s Most Backward Class, was also sworn in.
On Saturday, three ministers from the tribal group and three from the Dalit community were sworn in. Deputy Chief Minister Bairwa is also from the Dalit group, which now has four members in the 25-member cabinet.
The Rajasthan council of ministers now includes three Rajput ministers, including deputy chief minister Kumari. Rajputs are longstanding BJP supporters in Rajasthan.