Top 5 contenders for chief minister post in Rajasthan

CNBC TV18

By Priyanka Deshpande

Published Dec 4, 2023

BJP on Sunday December 3 secured a decisive win in Rajasthan, ousting the Congress-led government by a substantial margin.

The saffron party claimed 115 seats out of 200 in the Rajasthan Assembly with an impressive 41.69% vote share.

Now the attention turns to who will be the next chief minister, as the BJP didn't reveal a candidate during the campaign. Take a look at the top contenders.

A two-time former chief minister of Rajasthan, Raje won her first election in 1985. In 2003, she became Rajasthan's first woman chief minister.

Vasundhara Raje

A prominent face of the BJP during the poll campaign, Shekhawat during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls showcased his political prowess by defeating Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot from the Jodhpur seat.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Popularly known as ‘Yogi of Rajasthan,’ Mahant Balak Nath contested the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly election from the Tijara seat and won by a margin of 6,173 votes.

Mahant Balak Nath

Diya Kumari won the Vidhyadhar Nagar Assembly seat by a substantial margin of 71,368 votes. Since joining the saffron party in 2013, she has won 3 elections, including a remarkable victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with a margin of over 5.5 lakh votes.

Diya Kumari

A two-time MP from the Chittorgarh Lok Sabha constituency and Rajasthan BJP's state unit chief, Joshi is seen as a strong contender for the Chief Minister's post.

CP Joshi