Bhajan Lal Sharma

14th Chief Minister of Rajasthan (born 1966)

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Bhajan Lal Sharma (born 15 December 1966) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current chief minister of Rajasthan and also as leader of the house in state assembly. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he represents the Sanganer constituency in the 16th Rajasthan Assembly.

Early and personal life

Sharma was born on 15 December 1966, in Atari village near Nadbai in Bharatpur district to Kishan Swaroop Sharma, a farmer, and Gomati Devi. He completed his primary education in Atari and Gagwana villages and moved to Nadbai for secondary education. In 1989, Sharma completed his BA from MSJ college in Bharatpur. In 1993, he completed his MA in Political Science from the University of Rajasthan. He also pursued a B.Ed degree.

He is married to Geeta Sharma and has two sons. His elder son is preparing for UPSC (CSE) and has a private business, while his younger son is a doctor who completed his MBBS.

Political career

Sharma began his political career with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during his school days through its student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). In 1990, he participated in the ABVP's Kashmir Bachao Andolan march to Srinagar amid the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus and was arrested in Udhampur. He was also arrested in 1992 for his involvement in the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation during the Babri Mosque demolition. He later went on to become the president of the ABVP in Nadbai and the district co-convener in Bharatpur.

In the early 1990s, Sharma joined the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and served as its district president thrice. He was elected as the sarpanch of his native village at the age of 27, serving two consecutive terms. Additionally, he held the position of district president for the BJP in Bharatpur. Furthermore, he served as the vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Rajasthan, from 2014 to 2016, and later as the General Secretary from 2016 to 2023.

Sharma unsuccessfully contested the 2003 Assembly election from the Nadbai Assembly constituency in Bharatpur on the Rajasthan Samajik Nyay Manch (RSNM)'s ticket and finished fifth, getting just over 5,900 votes and with 6.28% vote share he lost his deposit.

Following the 2023 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, Sharma was elected as an MLA from the Sanganer Assembly constituency and was appointed the 14th Chief Minister of Rajasthan.

Chief Minister of Rajasthan (2023 - present)

On 12 December 2023, he was appointed the 14th Chief Minister of Rajasthan by the Bharatiya Janata Party, with two deputy CMs, Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa. He, along with his two deputies, was sworn in as Rajasthan's new CM on 15 December 2023.