NEW DELHI: Former Chhattisgarh BJP president and ex-Union minister of state Vishnu Deo Sai will be the next chief minister of Chhattisgarh, the BJP said on Sunday, ending days of suspense.
The decision was taken during a key meeting of the BJP’s newly-elected 54 MLAs in Raipur. Three observers, Union ministers Arjun Munda and Sarbananda Sonowal and party general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam, were also present along with the party’s in charge for Chhattisgarh Om Mathur, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya and co-in-charge for the state Nitin Nabin.
Sai, 59, won the recently concluded assembly polls from Kunkuri in north Chhattisgarh, a region the BJP has swept.Sai hails from the influential Sahu (Teli) community which has a sizable presence in the Durg, Raipur and Bilaspur divisions.
The BJP won 54 of the 90 seats in the state, while the Congress, which had won 68 seats in 2018, was reduced to 35 seats. The Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) managed to win one seat in the assembly elections.
It had been speculated that the BJP would go for an OBC or tribal chief minister if it doesn’t pick party stalwart Raman Singh.
The BJP swept the tribal-dominated Surguja division – the Congress had won all 14 seats in the division in 2018 – which is being seen as the key to its stunning victory in the state. Vishnu Deo Sai hails from this division.
Tribal communities account for 32% of the state’s population, and the BJP won 17 of the 29 seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) this time.
One tribal candidate of the party also won from the unreserved Premnagar seat in Surajpur district. Notably, the BJP had won only three seats reserved for the tribals in 2018.
The OBCs account for around 45% of the state’s population.
(With inputs from agencies)
The decision was taken during a key meeting of the BJP’s newly-elected 54 MLAs in Raipur. Three observers, Union ministers Arjun Munda and Sarbananda Sonowal and party general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam, were also present along with the party’s in charge for Chhattisgarh Om Mathur, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya and co-in-charge for the state Nitin Nabin.
Sai, 59, won the recently concluded assembly polls from Kunkuri in north Chhattisgarh, a region the BJP has swept.Sai hails from the influential Sahu (Teli) community which has a sizable presence in the Durg, Raipur and Bilaspur divisions.
The BJP won 54 of the 90 seats in the state, while the Congress, which had won 68 seats in 2018, was reduced to 35 seats. The Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) managed to win one seat in the assembly elections.
It had been speculated that the BJP would go for an OBC or tribal chief minister if it doesn’t pick party stalwart Raman Singh.
The BJP swept the tribal-dominated Surguja division – the Congress had won all 14 seats in the division in 2018 – which is being seen as the key to its stunning victory in the state. Vishnu Deo Sai hails from this division.
Tribal communities account for 32% of the state’s population, and the BJP won 17 of the 29 seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) this time.
One tribal candidate of the party also won from the unreserved Premnagar seat in Surajpur district. Notably, the BJP had won only three seats reserved for the tribals in 2018.
The OBCs account for around 45% of the state’s population.
(With inputs from agencies)