22 ministers take oath in Rajasthan, 17 of them first-timers

New Delhi: Bhajan Lal Sharma-led BJP government in Rajasthan on Saturday expanded its cabinet by inducting 22 MLAs including former Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and senior BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena.

12 MLAs were sworn in as Cabinet ministers, 10 ministers of state were also inducted into the government including five with independent charge.

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra administered the oath of office to the new ministers at a ceremony in Raj bhawan.


Out of those 22 who were administered in the Cabinet - 12 are OBCs, three STs and two are SCs besides Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa.

The BJP has also inducted its candidate from Karanpur assembly seat Surenderpal Singh in the Rajasthan government.

The MLAs inducted into the Rajasthan cabinet are Meena, Madan Dilawar, Rathore, Gajendra Singh Khimsar, Babulal Kharadi, Jogaram Patel, Suresh Singh Rawat, Avinash Gehlot, Joraram Kumawat, Hemant Meena, Kanhaiya Lal Choudhary and Sumit Godara.

Sanjay Sharma, Gautam Kumar Dak, Jhabar Singh Kharra, Surendra Pal Singh and Heeralal Nagar took oath as ministers of state (independent charge).

Otaram Dewasi, Manju Baghmar, Vijay Singh Choudhary, K K Vishnoi and Jawahar Singh Bedham were made ministers of state.

Kirodi Lal Meena, a six-time MLA, is representing the Sawai Madhopur assembly seat. He is also a two-time Lok Sabha MP and one-time Rajya Sabha MP.

Gajendra Singh Khimsar, a four-time MLA, represents the Lohawat constituency of Jodhpur district. He is also a former minister.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who won from the Jhotwara assembly seat, is a former Union minister and two-time Lok Sabha MP from the Jaipur Rural seat.

Hemant Meena is a first-time MLA from Pratapgarh. He is the son of former minister Nandlal Meena.

Khimsar and KK Bishnoi are seen as closely associated with former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

BJP candidate from Karanpur Surendra Pal Singh, a former minister, was also inducted as an MoS (independent charge). Polling in this assembly segment will be held on January 5.