Vishnu Deo Sai New Chhattisgarh Chief Minister: A Profile
Chhattisgarh”s political landscape saw a historic shift on December 10, 2023, with the appointment of Vishnu Deo Sai, a tribal leader and favourite of BJP’s ideological mentor RSS, as the state”s new Chief Minister. Vishnu Deo Sai has the backing or Raman Singh, the numero uno of BJP in the tribal and backward caste-dominated state, and became the first tribal leader to hold the top post in the state.
Born in 1962 in the village of Bagia in Jashpur district, Vishnu Deo Sai is a four-time Member of Parliament and was elected to undivided Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly twice. A former union minister, he had also worked as BJP’s state chief from 2020 to 2022 and was replaced by Arun Sao, under whom the party defeated a formidable Congress led by Bhupesh Baghel in the recent assembly elections in the state.
Vishnu Deo Sai completed his Master”s degree in Political Science and began his political career in the 1990s.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi”s first term, Vishnu Deo Sai held the position of Union Minister of State for Steel and hails from the influential Sahu (Teli) community of Chhattisgarh.
According to BJP sources, he is one of the most respected leaders in the party in Chhattisgarh due to his extensive experience in both state and national politics, coupled with his strong leadership qualities and wide support within the BJP, and that made him the ideal candidate.
According to BJP sources, he is one of the most respected leaders in the party in Chhattisgarh due to his extensive experience in both state and national politics, coupled with his strong leadership qualities and wide support within the BJP, and that made him the ideal candidate.
Other prominent leaders who were in the contention for the top post in the state included former bureaucrat OP Choudhary, BJP state unit president Arun Sao, longest serving chief minister in the state Raman Singh, former union minister Renuka Singh and former Rajya Sabha MP Ramvichar Netam.
As the new chief minister, Sai faces various challenges, including addressing unemployment, poverty, and rural development. His appointment as chief minister is seen as a significant step towards greater tribal representation in Indian politics, and reports have suggested that the selection of Vishnu Deo was line with Prime Minister Modi’s idea of having a tribal leader as Chhattisgarh state.
According to political observers, the appointment of Vishnu Deo Sai as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh will help the BJP in its social engineering goals and a suitable reciprocation to the tribal voters in the state who helped the BJP to win significant number of seats where tribal concentration is high.
