BJP's Vishnu Deo Sai sworn in as CM of Chhattisgarh
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Raipur: Vishnu Deo Sai, the leader of the BJP legislative party and an MLA from the Kunkuri constituency, took the oath of office as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday.
Arun Sao, the state president of the party, and Vijay Sharma, a newly elected MLA, also took the oath of office as deputy chief ministers.
In a grand event held at the Science College Ground, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President JP Nadda, Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari, as well as chief ministers from several states, were present to witness Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan administer the oath of office and secrecy to Sai and his two deputies, the New Indian Express reported.
Sai, who was elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party last Sunday, serves the Kunkuri legislative assembly in the Jashpur district. He started his political career in 1990 as the unopposed Sarpanch of Bagiya Gram Panchayat.
He was elected as an MLA at the young age of 26, an undivided MP, and he has represented the Raigarh Lok Sabha seat four times consecutively since 1999. From 2014 to 2019, he held the position of union minister of state in the government of Narendra Modi.
Sharma represents the Kawardha seat, commonly known as "Dharm Nagri" in Chhattisgarh, and Sao is an MLA from the Lormi assembly constituency.
Gaining 17 of the 29 reserved Scheduled Tribe seats, the BJP sweeps the tribal belts on its path to power in Chhattisgarh, providing a boost to the party's comeback.
Sai arrived at the state secretariat at Nava Raipur-Atal Nagar, the new capital, after taking the oath.
Even while many senior party leaders in Chhattisgarh now anticipate yet another surprise pick of members for Sai's new cabinet team, the BJP has yet to release its list of ministers.
Despite pollsters' and political pundits' projections of a close contest between the Congress and the BJP in Chhattisgarh's bipolar politics, the BJP emerged victorious, securing 54 seats in the 90-member House and regaining power by a clear popular mandate.
Sai (59) was appointed as the state of Chhattisgarh's fourth chief minister since it was formed in 2000. Sao (54) is a member of the powerful Sahu (Teli) OBC group. Sharma (50), a Brahmin, is the state BJP's general secretary.