The BJP on Tuesday unveiled first-time MLA Bhajanlal Sharma as the new Rajasthan Chief Minister, completing a hat-trick of left field picks to lead states it won last month. If naming Mohan Yadav – Madhya Pradesh’s outgoing Higher Education Minister – and Vishnu Deo Sai – a former Union Minister – caused consternation, Mr Sharma’s elevation caught everyone completely off-guard.

In fact, in a group photo of the newly elected MLAs, Mr Sharma is not seated in the front row, or the second. He is standing in a corner of the third, most inconspicuous and nearly out of shot. Reports indicate he was in the background even at the meeting this evening to finalise his appointment.

READ | Bhajanlal Sharma, First-Time MLA, Is BJP’s Rajasthan Chief Minister

To dismiss Mr Sharma as a complete unknown is unfair, for he is one of the BJP’s longest-serving leaders in Rajasthan and was thrice the General Secretary of the party’s state unit.

He began his political career in BJP’s student wing – the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad – and was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the party’s ideological mentor.

That said, Mr Sharma – who duly thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party boss JP Nadda, the centre of power in the BJP – was undoubtedly a surprise pick.

Who Is Bhajanlal Sharma?

Mr Sharma won the Sanganer seat, but he is not from the area. He hails from Bharatpur, which has never really been a happy hunting ground for the party. The Rashtriya Lok Dal won this seat in each of the last two polls. The BJP did hold it in 2008 and 2013 but those wins followed a 36-year drought.

Sanganer, by contrast, is a BJP stronghold; the party has held this seat since 2003 and has won it in eight of 10 Assembly elections since 1977, when it was formed. In fact, in each of the past three state polls, the BJP has never won less than 50 per cent of the votes in this seat.

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

That Mr Sharma, in his debut election, was fielded from a safe seat has raised eyebrows, with some suggesting his becoming Chief Minister may have been planned by the BJP from the start.

His becoming Chief Minister has also been pitched as the BJP’s good practice of rewarding hard workers. A grinning brother-in-law, Pramod Sharma, told news agency ANI, “You can see… BJP has given such a huge responsibility to an ordinary worker. This is what the BJP does… elevate ordinary workers to big posts. He will carry out his responsibility very well. We had not expected this.”

Mr Sharma is from the Brahmin community, which accounts for about seven per cent of Rajasthan’s population and, including those from neighbouring states like Uttar Pradesh, form a major chunk of upper class, or ‘general category’, voters that are the crux of the BJP’s support in this part of India.

Rajasthan Deputy Chief Ministers

The BJP has also named two deputies for Mr Sharma – picks that, alongside his own, underline the caste/class arithmetic foremost in the party’s mind before next year’s Lok Sabha election.

Ex-Lok Sabha MP Diya Kumari, who quit Parliament after winning last month’s poll, is one of the deputies. A member of the former Jaipur royal family, Ms Kumari fits multiple bills for the BJP – a Brahmin face in a state that is dominated by the community, and a woman. The other deputy is Prem Chand Bairwa, a member of the Dalit community that makes up over 16 per cent of India’s population, and whose elevation gives the BJP a positive campaign platform for next year.

Superstar Rajinikanth’s next film, dubbed Thalaivar 170, has been creating considerable excitement. As a special treat for his 73rd birthday, the makers have finally revealed the official title accompanied by a teaser. The film is titled Vettaiyan.

Check out the teaser here:

The teaser shows Rajinikanth making a superstar entry wearing sunglasses, holding a stick along with brown shirt and pants. He is then seen saying, “When the hunt is on, the prey must fall!” 

Vettaiyan is helmed by TJ Gnanavel, acclaimed for his work on the film Jai Bhim. In this upcoming movie, Rajinikanth is slated to play the role of a retired Muslim police officer reopening a case in pursuit of justice. The film is being shot in several locations such as Thiruvananthapuram, Tirunelveli, and Mumbai, with production commencing earlier this year. 

The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast, featuring Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, along with Rana Daggubati, Fahadh Faasil, Rithika Singh, Manju Warrier, and Dussara Vijayan in pivotal roles. The film holds the anticipation of bringing together two legends of Indian cinema, Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan, in a collaboration that is eagerly awaited by fans.

See Also: Birthday Special: Rajinikanth’s upcoming movies and cameos 

Karan Johar, famed for launching fresh talents continues his tradition by providing a debut platform for Ibrahim Ali Khan, son of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, in the upcoming film Sarzameen. Directed by Kayoze Irani, son of Boman Irani, who debuted with Karan’s Student of the Year, the film marks another addition to Karan’s roster of new faces. Now it looks like Khushi Kapoor, who portrayed Betty Cooper in Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies has signed her next project. 

Karan Johar is set to cast Khushi Kapoor and Ibrahim Ali Khan in a film helmed by his assistant, Shauna Gautam. Shauna who is known for assisting Karan in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, also worked with Rajkumar Hirani on Sanju. Speculation arose about their collaboration when they were seen leaving casting director Mukesh Chhabra’s office in Andheri in August this year.

According to a report in a leading news portal, the film in question is a romantic comedy slated for a direct-to-digital release. Produced by the digital arm of Karan Johar’s production company, Dharmatics, the movie is scheduled to begin filming next year. Casting for the remaining roles is currently underway.