Chhattisgarh’s New Chief Minister: Vishnudev Sai, a close associate of former Chief Minister Raman Singh, has been chosen. His political journey began as a sarpanch, and he served as a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1990 to 1998.

In Chhattisgarh, Vishnudev Sai will be the new Chief Minister. The BJP has selected the tribal leader and former Union Minister Sai as the next Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He was chosen as the leader of the BJP legislative party in a meeting of the party’s 54 newly elected MLAs on Sunday. Since the results of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections on December 3, there has been constant speculation about the Chief Minister in the state. However, now there is a pause in these speculations.

The decision to choose Vishnudev Sai as the Chief Minister comes after almost a week of deliberations. This decision aligns with the idea of bringing a tribal leader as the Chief Minister of the state, where the tribal population is 32 percent. After OBCs, tribals are the largest demographic group in the state. Initially, the BJP faced challenges in choosing candidates from tribal and OBC communities. However, this time the party succeeded in winning 14 out of 14 assembly seats in the tribal Bastar region and 8 out of 12 seats in Bastar.

BJP leaders revealed that in a meeting held on Sunday in the presence of party observers, Sai was elected as the leader by the legislative party of the newly elected MLAs. They explained that former Chief Minister Raman Singh proposed Sai’s name, and Pradesh Adhyaksh Arun Sao and senior leader Brajmohan Agrawal supported him.

After the announcement of being elected as Chief Minister, Vishnudev Sai said, “… I will work with complete honesty for ‘Sabka Vishwas’ and fulfill the promises made to the people of Chhattisgarh under ‘Modi’s Guarantee.’ As the Chief Minister of the state, we will strive to fulfill the promises. The first task is to provide 18 lakh houses to the people…”

According to BJP leaders, a meeting was held in the afternoon after the swearing-in of the newly elected MLAs, attended by central leaders appointed as observers – Minister Arjun Munda, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Dushyant Kumar Gautam, the National General Secretary, form the central leadership trio in the political landscape. The meeting took place at the BJP state office in Kushabhau Thakre Parisar, and Pradesh Prabhari Om Mathur, Central Minister and Election In-charge Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, BJP Organization In-charge Nitin Naveen, Pradesh Adhyaksh Arun Sao, and BJP National Vice-President and former Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh were also present.

Journey from Sarpanch to CM:

Vishnudev Sai initiated his political journey as a sarpanch and served as a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1990 to 1998.

Ministerial Experience:

Sai has also served as a minister at the center and was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha from Raigarh in 1999. He was appointed as the state president of the party in Chhattisgarh in 2006. Sai has also served as a minister in the center.

Close to RSS:

Sai, 59, is considered a favorite of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He is also close to former Chief Minister Raman Singh, who has been the party’s top leader in the state.

BJP’s Victory in Elections:

In the recent elections for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, the BJP won on 54 seats, overthrowing the Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel. The Congress secured victory on 35 seats in the elections, whereas it had won 68 seats in 2018.