Vishnu Deo Sai Named New Chhattisgarh CM

RAIPUR, (IANS) – The BJP has named Vishnu Deo Sai as the new Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, where the party wrested power from the Congress in the recently concluded Assembly polls by bagging 54 of the total 90 seats.

Sai, 59, had earlier served as Union Minister of State for Steel, Mines, Labor, and Employment during the first tenure of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government.

The decision to name Sai for the chief ministerial post was taken at the BJP legislature party meeting here, sources said on December 10.

The meeting was held in the presence of three observers appointed by the central BJP leadership.

The BJP central leadership has appointed Union Ministers Arjun Munda, Sarbananda Sonowal, and party general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam as observers for Chhattisgarh.

The meeting was attended by 54 newly elected MLAs, including former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh. Speculations suggested that the party might give another CM term to the veteran BJP. However, this time, the BJP has appointed a fresh face for the CM post.

Born in February 1964 to a farmer’s family in Bagiya village of Jashpur district, Sai belongs to the tribal community. Sai began his political career after he was elected as Sarpanch of his village.

He contested the first assembly election as a BJP candidate in 1990 and won.

After getting elected as an MLA, Sai gained further momentum in his political career and emerged as an influential tribal leader in the region.

In 1999, he contested the first Lok Sabha election and won. He won three consecutive (2004, 2009 and 2014) Lok Sabha elections.