Will fulfil Modi’s guarantees, says Chhattisgarh’s new CM Vishnu Deo Sai

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named the party’s former president in Chhattisgarh Vishnu Deo Sai as the new chief minister of the state. Sai, who will replace Bhupesh Baghel of the Congress, will be the first tribal to head the state.

Sai was elected as the leader of the BJP’s legislative party during the meeting of 54 BJP MLAs at the party’s state headquarter, Kushabhau Thakre Parisar, in Raipur, a party functionary said.

“As a chief minister, I will try to fulfil (Prime Minister) Modi’s guarantees (BJP’s pre-poll promises) through my government. Sanctioning 18 lakh houses to beneficiaries of the housing scheme will be the first work to be done,” Sai said after the appointment.

The party’s three observers– Union ministers Arjun Munda and Sarbananda Sonowal and party general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam-, the party’s incharge for Chhattisgarh Om Mathur, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya and party co-in-charge for the state Nitin Nabin were present in the meeting.

Others who were in the fray included member of Parliament (MP), Renuka Singh, former chief minister, Raman Singh, senior party leader and legislators OP Chaudhary. According to party leaders, the party preferred an experienced and senior leader with tribal roots. “In his appointment there is a message for tribals for 2024 elections. Also, the BJP had swept the Bastar region, which shows that the tribals have faith in PM Modi,” said a senior BJP leader.

Sai has been elected as an MLA from Kunkuri seat in Surguja division, where the BJP has won all 14 segments in the region.

He had served as the minister of state in the PM Narendra Modi cabinet during the 16th Lok Sabha. After the formation of the Congress government in Chhattisgarh in 2018, when the BJP restructured its organisation, Sai was appointed as the state president of the BJP. He also holds the position of National Working Committee member in the BJP. He did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

After Sai, Arun Sao became the state president in 2022. In 2023, the party nominated Sai from the Kunkuri Tribal seat, and he secured victory with a 25,54-vote margin.

While the BJP won 54 of the 90 seats in the just-concluded Assembly elections, the Congress, which had won 68 seats in 2018, was reduced to 35 seats. The Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) managed to win one seat. The results were announced on December 3.