Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma keeps Home among 8 ministries, Deputy CM Diya Kumari gets finance | Who gets what?

on




Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, who took oath on December 13, 2023, along with his 18-member cabinet, has allocated the portfolios of his ministers on Friday. Sharma, who belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has kept the key portfolios of Home, Personnel, General Administration, and all other unallocated portfolios with himself. He has also retained the charge of Disaster Management, Information Technology, and Electronics and Communication.
Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, who is the daughter of the erstwhile Jaipur royal family, has been given the important portfolios of Finance, Planning, and Statistics. She will also handle the departments of Art and Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation.

The other prominent ministers in the Sharma cabinet are:

- Rajendra Rathore: Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Urban Development and Housing, Local Self Government, and Law and Legal Affairs.
- Gulab Chand Kataria: Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Language.
- Vasundhara Raje: Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Women and Child Development, and Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Arun Chaturvedi: Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Ayurveda and Indian Medicine, and Science and Technology.
- Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: Minister of Water Resources, Irrigation, Command Area Development, and Indira Gandhi Canal Project.
- Rajpal Singh Shekhawat: Minister of Industries, Commerce, and Investment Promotion, and Public Enterprises.
- Kiran Maheshwari: Minister of Higher Education, Technical Education, Sanskrit Education, and Skill Development.
- Prabhu Lal Saini: Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, and Gopalan.
- Rampratap: Minister of Energy, Non-Conventional Energy Sources, and Public Grievances Redressal.
- Surendra Goyal: Minister of Revenue, Colonisation, Rehabilitation, and Devasthan.
- Rajendra Singh Gudha: Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs, and Cooperative.
- Hem Singh Bhadana: Minister of Forest and Environment, Mines, and Youth Affairs and Sports.
- Yunus Khan: Minister of Minority Affairs, Waqf, and Haj.
- Ajay Singh Kilak: Minister of Labour and Employment, Factory and Boilers Inspection, and Khadi and Village Industries.
- Pushpendra Singh: Minister of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Library.
- Babulal Verma: Minister of Social Welfare, Tribal Area Development, and Regional Development.
- Amra Ram: Minister of Revenue, Relief, and Rehabilitation.
- Shrichand Kriplani: Minister of PHED, Ground Water, and Soldier Welfare.

The allocation of portfolios has been done after consultation with the BJP central leadership and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the party. The Sharma cabinet has tried to balance the caste and regional equations in the state, as well as the aspirations of the senior leaders and the newcomers.

The BJP had won 112 seats in the 200-member Rajasthan assembly in the elections held on November 28, 2023, defeating the incumbent Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot. The Congress had won 64 seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had won 12 seats. The remaining 12 seats were won by independent candidates and other parties.