Rajasthan BJP's big meet today, chief minister likely to be announced

Days after the BJP's thumping victory in the Rajasthan assembly elections, newly elected MLAs are set to convene in Jaipur on Tuesday to formally elect the next chief minister of the state. The meeting, scheduled for 4 pm at the BJP state office, will be attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, serving as an observer, along with co-observers Saroj Pandey and Vinod Tawde.

State President CP Joshi and in-charge Arun Singh have overseen preparations for the meeting. The registration process for the newly elected MLAs will begin at 1:30 pm while the meeting of the BJP Legislature Party is called at 4 pm on Tuesday. All BJP MLAs have been mandated to attend the meeting, reported news agency PTI.

Commenting on the possibility of the selection of a Dalit leader as the new chief minister, Arun Singh said on Monday that "everything will be revealed tomorrow."

The contenders for the CM's post reportedly include former CM Vasundhara Raje and Union ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Observers will engage in one-on-one discussions with MLAs before the formal election of the legislative party leader during the meeting. The BJP secured 115 seats out of the 199 contested in the elections held on November 25.

Amid speculation, visits by MLAs to leaders like Vasundhara Raje are seen as a display of support. However, Rajendra Rathore emphasised that such interactions should not be misconstrued as lobbying, asserting unity among BJP leaders in the state.

Rathore also mentioned the formation of the new "double engine” government in Rajasthan on Tuesday, symbolising the party's governance at both the state and central levels.