Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma presided over the Cabinet meeting. File photo: X/@BhajanlalBjp via ANI

The annual session of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Rajasthan was held in Jaipur on Thursday (March 12, 2026) with a call to promote entrepreneurship among the youth and achieve $4.30 trillion economy for the State by 2047. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma addressed a conference on ‘Viksit Rajasthan’ on the occasion. Photo: X@RajCMO

New Delhi:

Rekha Gupta took oath Thursday afternoon as Chief Minister of Delhi – the fourth woman and fourth Bharatiya Janata Party leader to hold that post. Her nomination late last night followed 12 days of suspense and speculation over whom the BJP might pick to follow Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi.

The answer, when it came, was unexpected.

Ms Gupta, the ex-President of the Delhi University Students’ Union and a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh in northwest Delhi, was not the name the BJP was expected to put forward.

She was on the shortlist, yes. Sources did tell NDTV Ms Gupta and all three of the party’s women MLAs were being considered, but all of the talk was about Parvesh Verma, the ‘giant-slayer’.

No-Go For Parvesh Verma

After all, Mr Verma is a two-time Delhi Lok Sabha MP and is the son of former BJP Chief Minister Saheb Singh Verma. He also defeated Arvind Kejriwal for the New Delhi seat, and two of the last three Delhi Chief Ministers – Mr Kejriwal and the Congress’ Sheila Dikshit – won that constituency.

And there were other names seen as ahead of Ms Gupta, including Satish Upadhyay, the party’s Brahmin face, and Vijender Gupta, who was earlier the Leader of the Opposition.

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By contrast, Ms Gupta – though one of Delhi’s longest-serving councillors – was a low-key figure.

And it was a surprise, even to her. Ms Gupta told NDTV that when she left her home Wednesday evening, to attend a MLAs meet, she had no idea she would return as Chief Minister.

READ | “Knew When Parvesh Verma…”: Rekha Gupta On Chief Minister News

But the BJP’s pick shouldn’t be a surprise because the party has sprung a few of them in the past few years, most notably in 2023, when it picked three unfancied individuals as chief ministers.

BJP’s 2024 ‘Gameplan’

There were nine full Assembly elections in 2023. The BJP (and/or its allies) won five – Tripura, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

Of these, NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio, an ally of the BJP, remained Chief Minister in Nagaland and the party held on to Manik Saha in Tripura. For the other three, two of which (Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh) were flipped from the Congress, the BJP sprang a hat-trick of surprises.

And this is the point – big names were ignored then – Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan, Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh – as they were this week, in Delhi.

Instead, Bhajan Lal Sharma was installed in Rajasthan, Vishnu Deo Sai in Chhattisgarh, and Mohan Yadav in Madhya Pradesh. Sources told NDTV this was a calibrated effort by the BJP to balance caste-class demands ahead of the Lok Sabha election, which came six months later.

NDTV Explains | BJP’s 2024 Gameplan Behind Hattrick Of Heartland Surprises

For example, in Chhattisgarh, a state where tribal communities form 32 per cent of the population, the BJP opted for a tribal leader. Madhya Pradesh got a Chief Minister from the Yadav community and Brahmin and Dalit deputies. And Rajasthan got a Brahmin leader and Rajput and Dalit deputies.

Vishnu Deo Sai (R) and Mohan Yadav, the BJP’s surprise picks for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh (File).

Before and after 2023, i.e., in 2022 and 2024 the BJP opted to retain Chief Ministers, including keeping Nayab Saini in Haryana and restoring Devendra Fadnavis in Maharashtra.

BJP’s Delhi Move

The BJP selecting Rekha Gupta, sources told NDTV, reflects the same balancing act.

The party wanted a Vaishya face as its leader because its first three Chief Ministers – Madan Lal Khurana, Saheb Singh, and Sushma Swaraj – represented the Punjabi, Jat, and Brahmin communities. To that end, Vijender Gupta was an option, but Rekha Gupta ticked a box he couldn’t – gender.

READ | Rekha Gupta Sworn In As Delhi Chief Minister With PM On Stage

Ms Gupta meant the BJP could point to a Vaishya and a woman as its leader.

Over To Bihar?

Ms Gupta’s selection could also be an indication of how things might play out in Bihar, where elections are due this year. At present, Nitish Kumar is Chief Minister even if his JDU is a minority partner. Sources have confirmed the BJP will fight with him as the chief ministerial candidate.

However, should the saffron party come back to power and keep, or even extend its lead over Nitish Kumar, a change is possible.

In that case, the question of who could succeed him arises, and it could be the BJP looks to spring a surprise here too, ignoring senior leaders like ex-Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad and ex-Union Ministers Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and Ravi Shankar Prasad in favour of another left-field choice.

Who that might be (assuming, of course, that Nitish Kumar does not remain) will be revealed then.

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Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, in an exclusive interview with NDTV, revealed that the state would soon establish a new industrial park, following a proposal from Vedanta Industries Chairman Anil Agarwal. The proposed park, which will benefit industries and small MSMEs, was discussed during a meeting between the Vedanta chief and Mr Sharma.

This new industrial park is expected to provide a major boost to industries and small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the region. While the specific location of the park has not yet been disclosed, its development promises to enhance Rajasthan’s appeal as an investment destination and stimulate economic growth across various sectors.

The announcement comes ahead of the Rising Rajasthan Summit, which aims to attract investments and promote the state’s economic growth. The Chief Minister highlighted the success of the Mumbai roadshow, where Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth over Rs 4.5 lakh crore were signed.

The state government plans to send a high-level delegation to all Indian states and 25 countries worldwide to promote investment opportunities in Rajasthan. Mr Sharma assured that the state will provide all necessary facilities to entrepreneurs, ensuring timely establishment of industries and single-window clearance for projects.

Jaipur:

The six-month-old Bhajan Lal Sharma government in Rajasthan is facing its first major crisis, and a possible rift, with a cabinet minister flagging lapses in a housing project being handled by a department that comes under the chief minister. 

In a letter to Mr Sharma, senior BJP leader and Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena has said the way the project in Jaipur’s upmarket area of Gandhinagar – which is home to senior judges and IAS officers among others – is being planned will result in a loss of Rs 1,146 crore to the state government. 

Mr Meena has also said that the General Administration Department (GAD), which is under the chief minister, is going ahead with the project without cabinet clearance and has urged Mr Sharma to stop it and recall the file. 

Numbers Game

In the letter, Mr Meena speaks about the planned redevelopment of the old MREC campus In Gandhinagar, where the GAD plans to demolish existing buildings and build multi-storey towers. The minister has said the area was valued at Rs 277 crore five years ago and a new assessment has put its value at Rs 218 crore. The reserve price of the land, he claims, is also undervalued at Rs 8,000 per square foot against the current rate of Rs 25,000.

This means, according to the letter, that the state government is incurring a loss of nearly Rs 17,000 per square foot. The government is also planning to give nearly 33% – or a third – of the flats to private players as part of a public-private partnership.

All of these, Mr Meena said, add up to a loss of 1,146 crore to the state treasury. Claiming that the file for the project has not been cleared by the cabinet or the finance ministry, the minister has urged Mr Sharma to “immediately” recall it.

Political Fallout

This is not the first time the senior minister has objected to decisions being taken by his own government. Last month, he had raised concerns about land being sold under the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project and had also hinted at corruption, after which the chief minister took action. 

Before contesting the Assembly polls, Mr Meena was a Rajya Sabha member and had played a big role in the campaign. After the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government was defeated last year, the BJP sprang a surprise by making first-time MLA Bhajan Lal Sharma the chief minister, causing some consternation in the faction led by two-time former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.  

Mr Meena is also said to be unhappy with the portfolios he had been allotted and was reportedly seeking a ticket for his brother from the Dausa Lok Sabha constituency, but it was given to Kanhaiya Lal Meena. The minister has been saying he will resign if the Dausa candidate does not win the Lok Sabha election and there has been speculation about whether this is a sign of confidence or a threat. 

The BJP had won 24 out of 25 seats in Rajasthan in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, with the lone remaining seat also going to an NDA ally. It had also won all 25 seats in 2014, and both of these elections were fought under Vasundhara Raje. 

This year’s Lok Sabha elections are being seen as a litmus test for the new dispensation and sources said if the BJP’s seats go down even a few notches, Mr Sharma may have a tough time battling factions within his government and the party. 

Jodhpur:

Fifteen Congress leaders joined BJP in Jodhpur on Tuesday in the presence of the Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.

While talking to the media, Mr Sharma took a dig at the Congress and said no one wants to be with the party which has no future.

“Earlier it was said that there is a hole in Congress’s boat. But now their entire boat is sinking. Who would like to sit in a sinking boat?” he said.

He said that the way they, the Congress leaders, are coming, it seems that not only will the BJP win all 25 seats in the state, but it will do it by a huge margin.

The defectors included Pappuram Dara, Hanuman Singh Khangta, the President of Marwar Rajput Mahasabha and a close aide of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, and Suresh Gurjar, sarpanch from Gotan (Nagaur), and a confidant of Sachin Pilot.

Many leaders, once considered loyalists of Ashok Gehlot, have left the party since the assembly election.

Such leaders include former mayor Rameshwar Dadhich and former RIICO Director (Independent) Sunil Parihar. Besides them, few others have seen to be gradually distancing themselves from the party activities.

On the other hand, former MP and MLA Manvendra Singh Jasol and Sheo MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati also met with the Chief Minister Sharma. They had a brief closed door meeting.

It is being speculated that they too may join the BJP in a day or two.

Ravindra Bhati also accompanied Mr Sharma on the flight to Udaipur, giving rise to the speculations that he is no more a threat to the BJP as he had earlier hinted by announcing he may contest as an independent from Barmer-Jaisalmer Lok Sabha constituency.

“The meeting was positive, and further results will also be positive. I will talk to the people who have brought me here and then I will come before you soon,” Ravindra Bhati said.

Before this, Mr Sharma arrived at a hotel along with Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and other leaders and chaired a meeting with the Lok Sabha in-charges, co-in-charges, coordinators, and members of the working committee for Jodhpur, Pali, Barmer-Jaisalmer, and Jalore-Sirohi constituencies.

The meeting, which lasted for about 1 hour, discussed preparations for the Lok Sabha elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma will now move like a common man and also stop at red signals as he has decided to give up the VIP movement privileges accorded to him, an official said Wednesday.

However, he will continue to move in the security cover provided to a chief minister, state’s police chief U R Sahoo said.

The decision was taken by the chief minister on Wednesday keeping in view the problems faced by the common man and serious patients during VIP movements, an official spokesperson said.

The chief minister gave instructions regarding the decision to Director General of Police U R Sahoo on Wednesday.

“There will be no change in the security cover provided to the chief minister. The decision with regard to the arrangement of the VIP movement has been taken considering the traffic problems faced by the common man and patients,” DGP Sahoo told PTI.

The spokesperson said the chief minister will also stop at red signals during his movement.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)