Rajasthan: Bhajan Lal Sharma sworn in as CM, Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa as deputies

First-time MLA and BJP leader Bhajan Lal Sharma was sworn in as Chief Minister of Rajasthan on Friday. Governor Kalraj Mishra also administered oath to Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa, who were sworn in as deputy chief ministers on Friday.

Tight security was in place as a huge crowd gathered to witness the swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP government in front of the iconic Albert Hall in Jaipur. BJP president J.P. Nadda, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arjun Ram Meghwal, chief ministers of various states including Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and several other BJP leaders attended the event. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was also present. 

In the elections held to the 200-seat Assembly, the BJP won 115 seats while the Congress got 69 seats. Sharma, one of the general secretaries in the state BJP, has always maintained a low profile. On Tuesday, the party announced Sharma 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. Ajmer North MLA Vasudev Devnani has been chosen as the speaker of the assembly. 

- with agency inputs.