Bhajan Lal Sharma's oath event was attended by PM Modi
Bhajan Lal Sharma took oath as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan today at a grand event in Jaipur that was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Bhajan Lal Sharma, a first-time MLA from Sanganer, was named the Chief Minister of Rajasthan by the BJP on Tuesday.
Mr Sharma has two deputies - "People's princess" Diya Kumari, who was an aspirant for the top post - and senior leader Prem Chand Bairwa.
Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa were sworn-in as Deputy Chief Ministers immediately after Bhajan Lal Sharma took the oath.
The oath event was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the chief ministers of some BJP-ruled states among others.
Former chief minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot also attended the swearing-in. Mr Gehlot sat next to "rival" Gajendra Singh Shekhwat.
It also happens to be Bhajan Lal Sharma's birthday today.
The 56-year-old, initially associated with the ABVP, the student wing of the party's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has always kept a low profile. He is seen as an organisation man by party colleagues.
The party won 115 seats in the 200-member Assembly in the elections, whose results were declared on December 3. Polling did not take place in the Karanpur seat of Sriganganagar district after the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Kooner.
In the run-up to the elections, the BJP had not declared the chief ministerial face and had decided to bank on collective leadership and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to unseat the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government.