Rajasthan assembly elections: As BJP sails smooth, key faces for CM candidate

Polling in Rajasthan was held for 199 of the 200 seats in the state assembly on November 25.

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is appearing to wrest Rajasthan from the Congress with counting trends in the afternoon showing the party leading on 111 seats, way past the Congress which was ahead in 73 constituencies.

If the initial trends released by the Election Commission on December 3 hold, the party is comfortably past the halfway mark of 100. Polling was held for 199 of the 200 seats in the state assembly on November 25.

Amid the celebrations of BJP workers already, key names for chief minister's post are coming up, including former CM Vasundhara Raje, Arun Meghwal and even Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Since 1993, Rajasthan has alternated between two main parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, every five years. Veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has served as the desert state’s chief minister three times, while Vasundhara Raje from the BJP has held the position twice during this period.

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Here are the key names showing up for the CM post after today's results:

Vasundhara Raje - The two-time CM of Rajasthan, Raje became the first woman to serve as the Chief Minister for the state in 2003. She is currently one of the national vice presidents of BJP and also a potential runner in the race to CM. A member of the Scindia family, she is the matriarch of the Bamraulia family of Dholpur. She is contesting in the current polls from Jhalrapatan.

Ashwini Vaishnaw - Rail minister Vaishnaw is a native of Rajasthan. He is a Rajya Sabha member from Odisha and has launched three Vande Bharat trains in the desert state. So he is another man in discussion for the post.

Arun Meghwal - The Dalit face of the party, Meghwal is currently serving as the Minister of Law and Justice (Independent Charge), Government of India since 2023 and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs since 2017 & Culture since 2021 in the Second Modi Ministry. He is contesting from the Bikaner constituency and has remained a favourite in the central leadership.

Diya Kumari - Diya Kumari is a member of the Indian Parliament from the Rajsamand parliamentary seat. She is the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jaipur during the British Raj in India.

Baba Balaknath - Mahant Balaknath Yogi is a Member of Parliament from the Alwar Lok Sabha constituency. He is Chancellor of the Baba Mastnath University (BMU). He is also the eighth chief/ Mahant of the Nath sect of Hinduism, as per reports.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat - Shekhawat is currently serving as Union Cabinet Minister in the Ministry of Jal Shakti. He is a member of parliament from BJP representing Jodhpur in the Lok Sabha. Shekhawat is the blue-eyed boy of the central leadership and the Prime Minister has mentioned the Jal Jeevan Mission in all his rallies, so he has high chances of getting the coveted job.

Earlier, according to reports, BJP leaders had said that if the party gets around 100 seats, Raje will be the first choice as she is a two-time CM who knows the pulse of politics in Rajasthan.

However, if the figure crosses the 120-mark, the central leadership will decide the leader of the MLAs.