Even as the BJP’s chief minister picks for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan took the country by surprise, the names of their deputies were equally unexpected.
The party picked OBC leader Mohan Yadav as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, while Scheduled Caste leader Jagadish Devda and Brahmin leader Rajendra Shukla were named his deputies. According to reports, the BJP had considered caste factors while making these appointments ahead of the 2024 polls. When picking deputies for Rajasthan CM-elect Bhajanlal Sharma, the party chose Diya Kumari, a Rajput, and Prem Chand Bairwa, a Dalit.
Who is Diya Kumari?
Known as “Jaipur ki Beti," Diya Kumari (52) was said to be one of the contenders for the CM post. The MLA from Vidhyadhar Nagar is the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last ruling Maharaja of the erstwhile Jaipur princely state. She won a landslide victory in her assembly constituency, Vidhyadhar Nagar, defeating Sitaram Agarwal of the Congress by over 71,000 votes.
She had joined the BJP on September 10, 2013, in Jaipur in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the chief minister of Gujarat, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, and Vasundhara Raje. She has secured victories in both the state and Lok Sabha elections since then. Her campaign targeted the then Ashok Gehlot government on issues such as law and order, women’s safety, paper leaks, and unemployment.
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She holds a graduate diploma in fine art (decorative painting) from Chelsea School of Arts, London, and a Doctorate in Philosophy from Amity University, Jaipur. “We are all common people, but I am definitely proud of my lineage, heritage, and the immense contribution of my forefathers to the welfare of the people. I have always been accessible to people, and I will continue to remain so,” she told the Hindustan Times.
Prem Chand Bairwa
A second-time legislator from Dudu near Jaipur, Prem Chand Bairwa (54) had previously been an MLA from the same constituency in 2013 but was defeated in 2018 by Congress rebel Babu Lal Nagar. However, in 2023, Bairwa defeated Nagar by a margin of over 35,000 votes. Bairwa, a Ph.D. holder from the University of Rajasthan, is known for his organisational capability.
Also read: Bhajanlal Sharma’s number one problem is inflation
“Bairwa has previously been a member of the Dudu Zila Parishad and is also a member of the national body of the BJP’s SC Morcha. He is known to talk less, maintain a low profile, and toil in the party organisation,” former Jaipur rural BJP president Jitendra Sharma told the Indian Express. Bairwa began his political career with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1995.
“Deputy Chief Minister is another name for a cabinet minister. The party (BJP) is social balancing in the state. It does not make any difference who you elect as Deputy Chief Minister. It is more about cosmetic (changes) because the post is not constitutional. In Rajasthan, even Sachin Pilot was made Deputy CM in 2018 but that did not change the equation between him and Ashok Gehlot,” Rashid Kidwai, political analyst, told Moneycontrol.
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