Rajasthan cabinet expansion: First timers crowd Cabinet

What is noteworthy is that barring a few, Vasundhara Raje’s confidantes haven’t found place in the Cabinet this time, perhaps an indication of further sidelining of the state’s first ever woman chief minister.

Jaipur: After a prolonged delay, Rajasthan today saw a 22-member strong Cabinet being sworn in, with at least 17 first-timers.

With the first-timers being chosen from different backgrounds and castes to maintain the status quo, it seems BJP’s strategy is now more focused on grooming a new set of leaders to infuse freshness in ideas that would help them return to power in the long run, something which the voters have not allowed to happen in the state in the last 30 years.

Also noteworthy is that barring a few, Vasundhara Raje’s confidantes haven’t found place in the Cabinet this time, perhaps an indication of further sidelining of the state’s first ever woman chief minister.

Also for the first time, Surendra Pal Singh Titi, who is the BJP’s candidate from Karanpur constituency in Sriganganagar district, the election of which is slated on January 5 next year, has been sworn in as a state minister with independent charge. The election in Karanpur was postponed due to the death of the Congress candidate and also the sitting MLA Gurmeet Singh Kooner on Nov 15, just before the election day on Nov 25.

Other than deputy chief minister Diya Kumari, only one other woman, Dr Manju Bagmar, who won from Jayal (SC constituency) in Nagaur district, has found a place in the ministry as a state minister.

Two MPs Kirori Lal Meena, an influential Meena leader and Rajya Sabha member and Jaipur (Rural) MP, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, a Rajput, have been given Cabinet ranks. Meena has been a minister earlier too and Rajyavardhan has been a union minister at the Centre.

At least 12 Cabinet-rank ministers first took oath at Jaipur’s Raj Bhavan, and were sworn in by Governor Kalraj Mishra. Other than Kirori Lal Meena and Rajyavardhan Rathore, it includes big names like Gajendra Singh Khinswar and RSS-groomed Madan Dilawar. Another five state ministers with Independent charges were also sworn in along with five others as state ministers.

Meena, 72, is a doctor and is the most prominent face of the ST (Meena) community and has won from Sawai Madhopur this time by over 22,510 votes. Fondly known as ‘doctor saheb’, he is one of BJP’s most outspoken leader. He has held press conferences about exam paper leaks and made disclosures about the involvement of people close to the Congress government. He also conducted self-styled raids into lockers in a shopping mall and unearthed cash worth crores and levelled umpteen corruption charges against the Congress government. With a strong RSS background and a belief in BJP’s Hindutva ideology, he even went to jail during the Emergency. He was a Cabinet minister in Raje’s first term between 2003 -2008. After differences with Raje, he had left BJP in 2008 and was a vocal critic of Raje government between 2013 to 2018. But in 2018, he returned to BJP and supported Raje in her bid to make a comeback. He was later nominated to Rajya Sabha.

Former Olympian and Army man, two time MP and a union minister for Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Rathore, 53, won from a difficult seat of Jhotwara constituency in Jaipur, replacing Raje confidante Rajpal Singh Shekhawat. Despite facing opposition from within BJP, he was able to wrest the seat and is also a prominent Rajput face.

Another Rajput face Gajendra Singh Khimswar, 64, MLA from Lohawat in Jodhpur district, is close to Raje and was a cabinet minister with departments like industry, environment and forest, Sports and Youth Affairs in the period between 2003-2008. A Stephenian, he is experienced in administration, Khimswar is a hotelier by profession. His appointment is a message that the BJP state unit is a united front with no internal factionalism. It may be an attempt to keep Raje placated too.

Madan Dilawar, 64, a former minister in Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Raje tenures, is a five term MLA from Ramganjmandi in Kota district. He won his first Assembly elections in 1990. A prominent Dalit face, he has strong RSS links and a Hindutvawadi outlook. He has held important positions in the BJP’s organisation. He had taken part in the Ram Mandir Andolan. He is influential in the state’s Hadoti region and is known as a frank and forthright MLA.

Babu Lal Kharari, 56, is a tribal, grassroots leader from Jhadol constituency in Udaipur district. A four-term MLA now, he was chosen as the best legislator in the last Assembly. Even today, Kharari lives in a kuccha house, with a big family. He is a first time minister.

An eminent lawyer by profession, Jogaram Patel, 68, has won from Luni in Jodhpur district, and is a two-term MLA. He was a parliamentary secretary during Raje’s first tenure and is an expert on matters of running the House. But would be a first time minister. His selection is also an attempt to woo the OBC Patel caste in the Marwar region.

Another Raje supporter Ota Ram Devasi, 58, and a supposedly a Hindu dharamguru, found a place in the Cabinet as a state minister. He has won from Sirohi, a tribal dominated area, and served as India’s first cow minister during Raje’s tenure.

Even after BJP passed the Women Reservation Bill, which ensures one-third reservation to women in Parliament and state assemblies, only one woman, Dr Manju Bagmar found space in the Cabinet today as state minister. She would be the second woman minister along with deputy chief minister Diya Kumari.

Bagmar, 52, won from the SC reserved seat of Jayal ( Nagaur district) and is a Phd and professor by profession. A first time minister and a two-term legislator, she has risen from the ranks by contesting and heading the local bodies.

Out of the 12 Cabinet rank ministers, nine of them are first-timers. Out of the five state ministers with Independent charge , four of them are first timers and out of the five state ministers, four of them have again been selected for the first time. And if the first-timer Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and two first timer deputy chief ministers Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa are to be included, then out of the total 25, at least 20 of them are first timers.

“The Cabinet is a mix of experienced and inexperienced MLAs. More first timers with no governance experience have been relied upon, perhaps a move by BJP to groom a new crop of leaders. The problem is the chief minister and two deputy chief ministers are all new for India’s largest state. It seems also an attempt to reward hard working karyakartas, grassroots, low-profile leaders. There has also been an attempt to sideline Raje supporters and veteran leaders,” says Narayan Bareth, a political analyst.

Meanwhile Congress state chief Govind Singh Dotasra said “Today we saw that BJP's ego was at peak... BJP has defied the Election Commission and violated the Model Code of Conduct by administering the oath of office to a BJP candidate from Srikaranpur, Surendra Pal Singh TT... We condemn this. BJP does not believe in the Constitution and Election Commission."