Rajasthan chief minister-designate Bhajan Lal Sharma will take oath as the chief minister of the state in Jaipur on Friday. The ceremony will witness the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda, several union ministers and chief ministers of different states.
Sharma, a first-time MLA, was on Tuesday announced as the chief minister-designate during a BJP legislature party meeting in the presence of the party's central observers Rajnath Singh, Saroj Pandey and Vinod Tawde.
Besides Sharma, Deputy chief minister-designates Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa will also swear in. The three will be administered the oath of office by Governor Kalraj Mishra.
Earlier in the day, Sharma offered prayers at Govind Dev temple in Jaipur. After he was selected to the helm of the government, Sharma praised the BJP, calling it the only political party to give opportunity to its workers. "I would like to thank the party's national and state leadership for giving a chance to the son of a farmer," said Sharma. "The BJP is a party that takes care of its workers. The party has honoured a small worker of the organisation. I am thankful for it," he told reporters.
The event to be held at the iconic Albert Hall at noon is being held under tight security considering the arrival of VVIPs. A large number of common people are also likely to arrive at the venue to witness the ceremony.
As part of the preparations, the local BJP unit has decorated all main roads leading to the venue with posters and banners of various central government welfare schemes as well as the leaders' cutouts.
The state unit of the BJP is tightlipped about the cabinet formation with sources claiming that the exercise is going on and the list of ministers will be out very soon. Sources say that 10 to 12 cabinet ministers will be selected initially.
However, this could be a major challenge to the Sharma government due to caste and regional equations in the state. The Jats, Meenas and Gurjars have already sought ample representation in the Cabinet. Rajasthan government can have as many as 30 ministers, including the CM and deputy CMs.