Chhattisgarh Elections 2023: Vishnu Deo Sai, former union minister of steel, labour and employment, on Wednesday took oath as Chief Minister of Chattisgarh. Sai, a four-time Lok Sabha MP, was sworn in alongside Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma who took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers.

The swearing-in ceremony commenced at 4 pm at Raipur’s Science Ground College, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and chief ministers of other BJP-ruled states.

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2023

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Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan administered the oath to Sai at the Science College grounds in Raipur, BJP national president JP Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior party leaders were among the other leaders who attended the ceremony.

Notably, former Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also attended the new CM’s oath ceremony.

The two deputy chief ministers are Arun Sao who represents the Lormi assembly constituency, and Vijay Sharma, former President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, representing the Kawardha assembly constituency. Additionally, Dr Raman Singh, the former CM of Chhattisgarh will serve as the Assembly Speaker.

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Sai’s appointment as Chief Minister was announced after a crucial meeting of the BJP’s newly-elected 54 MLAs in the state. He secured victory in the Kunkuri Assembly seat with a total of 87,604 votes.

A prominent figure in the BJP, Sai has held various significant positions within the party, including former state unit president of the BJP and union minister. Hailing from the influential Sahu (Teli) community, he is known for his strong support among tribal voters and served as the BJP’s Chhattisgarh unit chief from 2020 to 2022.

Starting his political journey as a village sarpanch, Sai steadily climbed the ranks. Despite a defeat in the 1998 assembly polls from Pathalgaon seat, he won four consecutive Lok Sabha elections from the Raigarh constituency between 1999 and 2014. Although he wasn’t given a ticket in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, his ascent from a village sarpanch to the Union Minister of State for Steel in PM Modi’s first cabinet remains noteworthy.

In Chattisgarh assembly elections 2023, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in Chhattisgarh by winning 54 out of 90 seats while the party’s Congress bagged only 35 seats.