Raipur: Vishnu Deo Sai, the former Chhattisgarh BJP president, will be the new chief minister of the state. The BJP had been in a huddle over the chief ministerial name since it scored a comfortable victory in Chhattisgarh, refuting exit polls that predicted a tough fight with the Congress.
Vishnu Deo Sai’s name was being counted among the frontrunners, along with former chief minister Raman Singh.
Vishnu Deo Sai will be first tribal chief minister of Chhattisgarh.
Sai had been the state president of the BJP between 2020 to 2022. He was the union minister of state for steel in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term. He was also the Lok Sabha member from the BJP representing Chhattisgarh’s Raipur constituency. He is a member of the BJP’s national working committee.
After the formation of the Congress government in 2018, when the BJP restructured its organisation, Vishnu Deo Sai was appointed as the state president of BJP. In 2022, Arun Sao replaced Sai as the party’s state unit chief.
“Vishnu Deo Sai has been unanimously chosen as the leader of the legislative assembly…We will take the state forward under his leadership…We fulfil the responsibilities decided by the party. Giving our 100 per cent, under the leadership of Vishnu Deo Sai we will take the state to new heights,” BJP leader OP Chaudhary told ANI.
Also read: Who is Vishnu Deo Sai, BJP’s Chhattisgarh CM pick? 10 things to know
Sai began his political career as a panchayat leader. He later remained a member of the Madhya Pradesh assembly between 1990 and 98. In 1999, he was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha.
He was later re-elected to the subsequent Lok Sabhas from Raipur.
With his appointment as the chief minister, the BJP eyes the sizable tribal votes in the state for the 2024 general elections.
In the Chhattisgarh assembly elections, Sai won from the Kunkuri Tribal seat with a margin of over 25000 votes.
The Bharatiya Janata Party won 54 seats in Chhattisgarh. The Congress won only 35 seats.
