Bhajan Lal Sharma, a first-time MLA from the Sanganer Assembly constituency, took oath as the new Chief Minister of Rajasthan on Friday, while Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa were sworn in as his two deputies in the BJP-led state government.
Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra administered the oath of office at a ceremony in front of the iconic Albert Hall at 12 pm on Friday, PTI reported. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, among others, attended the ceremony.
While Diya Kumari, from the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur, was one of the frontrunners for the CM post, the saffron party's announcement of Prem Chand Bairwa for the post of deputy CM came as a surprise to many.
Here are five facts about Prem Chand Bairwa:
1. Born in 1969, Mr Bairwa, a prominent Dalit face in the BJP, is a second-time MLA from the Dudu Assembly constituency near Jaipur.
2. The 54-year-old holds an MPhil and PhD degree and comes from a farming family.
3. Mr Bairwa started his career in politics as an ABVP worker and worked as a Zila Parishad member in the Dudu constituency in 2000.
4. He gained attention after he defeated Congress candidate Hazari Lal Nagar by 33,720 votes in the 2013 Assembly polls. However, Bairwa faced a setback in 2018, when he lost his seat to Independent candidate Babu Lal Nagar. In 2023 polls, he reclaimed the Dudu seat by 35,743 votes, defeating Nagar, who contested on a Congress ticket this time.
5. Mr Bairwa is married to Narayani Devi and they have four children -- one son and three daughters.