Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023 - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contested the polls without a chief ministerial candidate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the campaign with two-time chief minister Vasundhara Raje. Check out who are among the top contenders for BJP.
BJP's Rajyavardhan Rathore exuded confidence about the party's victory ahead of the counting of votes in Rajasthan. He is a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Jaipur Rural seat, Olympic medallist in shooting, and retired colonel in the Indian Army.
Diya Kumari, granddaughter of Man Singh II is a member of the Indian Parliament from Rajsamand parliamentary seat and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. She is one of the top contenders for the CM Chair this year.
Vasundhara Raje, the first woman chief minister of Rajasthan, has also been a five-time Parliament member. She is currently leading the meter in becoming the next CM.
Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, a former bureaucrat is known to enjoy Modi's confidence. He is a three-time parliamentarian and one of the Dalit faces in Rajasthan. He too is among the top contenders for becoming the next CM.
Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, 56, the BJP’s Rajput face, is another contender for the top job. He shot to fame after defeating Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s son, Vaibhav, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Jodhpur.
Satish Poonia is also in the list, his appointment as the state chief in 2019 signalled the BJP’s intention to develop a second line of leadership.
Baba Balaknath, the BJP's Lok Sabha member from Alwar, the head of the Nath sect in Rohtak is also one of the contenders. Balaknath is known to be close to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.