Rama Krishna Sangem
Finally, BJP has named a new CM for Chhattisgarh, a week after it won the state assembly elections. Vishnu Deo Sai, tribal and a dark horse has been elected as the leader of BJP legislature party which met in Raipur on December 10, Sunday. With this, the era of BJP strongman and former CM Raman Singh is over. This also underlines the imprint of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bringing new leadership in states.
Vishnu Deo Sai will be the new chief minister of Chhattisgarh. A tribal face, a political veteran who served as a Union minister, Vishnu Deo Sai emerged as the dark horse of the week-long suspense over the chief minister post of Chhattisgarh. Vishnu Deo was among the top CM post contenders but was not considered the front runner in a contest among Raman Singh and Renuka Singh.
However, in a surprise, the observers after their meeting on Sunday – a week after the BJP wrested the Hindi heartland state from the Congress – Vishnu Deo’s name was formally announced as the chief minister. Vishnu Deo Sai served as the state president of the BJP from 2020 to 2022. Vishnu Deo becomes Chhattisgarh’s second tribal chief minister after Ajit Jogi. Ajit Jogi was however ruled out as an ST in 2019.
Served as MoS in Modi cabinet
Vishnu Deo Sai was the Union minister of state for steel in the first Cabinet of PM Modi. The new chief minister was also a Lok Sabha member from Raigarh. Vishnu Deo Sai began his political career as a member of the Madhya Pradesh assembly between 1990-98 before Chhatisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh.
In the just-concluded assembly election in Chhattisgarh 2023, Vishnu Deo Sai won from north Chhattisgarh’s Kunkuri constituency defeating UD Minj, the sitting Congress MLA. Vishnu Deo won four consecutive Lok Sabha elections from the Raigarh constituency from 1999 to 2014. Vishnu Deo was not given a ticket in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Vishnu Deo Sai was born in Jashpur.
Before joining politics, he was an agriculturist by profession. Vishnu Deo Sai is from the Kanwar tribe. “With all honesty I will work for ‘Sabka Vishwas’ & the promises made to the people of Chhattisgarh under ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’ will be fulfilled. As a CM of the state, we will try to fulfil the promises. The first work will be to give 18 lakh ‘Awas’ to the people,” Vishnu Deo Sai said, after his election as new CM..
The BJP came under criticism for dragging its feet in announcing the chief minister names for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The party appointed observers to finalise the name and Vishnu Deo Sai’s name was the first to be announced while suspense over the other two state CM names continues. Names of other two CMs – Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh too are expected in a day or two.
