"Never Thought Would Get This Post": Chhattisgarh's Vishnu Deo Sai

Newly elected Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday expressed astonishment at becoming the chief minister of Chhattisgarh saying that he is a farmer's son, got responsibilities at a young age, and had never thought he would get this post.

"I am a farmer's son and got responsibilities at a young age. I never thought that I would reach this post. I was elected legislator two consecutive times and remained MP four times. I also worked as MoS under PM Modi's guidance. I am grateful to the party that a huge responsibility has been given to me," Vishnu Deo Sai told news agency ANI in an exclusive interview.

Mr Sai said, "I believe that, under the guidance of the senior leaders of the party, I will be able to fulfil the responsibility of this post."

"The party surely rewards those workers or members who do their work with full dedication. This is only possible in the BJP. Other parties follow dynastic politics but the BJP is democratic," Vishnu Deo Sai added.

Further, the Chief Minister said the BJP, known for its staunch opposition to naxalism, lost its grip on the state when the Congress party came into power. 

This change in power dynamics led to a sense of security among the Naxals, who believed they now had a government in power that was sympathetic to their cause. However, the return of the BJP to power has instilled fear among the Naxals, who anticipate stringent actions against them.

"BJP has always fought against Naxalism, but when the Congress came into power in the state, everything changed... Naxals said, now our government is in power but the moment the BJP again came to power, now they are afraid that action will be taken against them," Vishnu Deo Sai added.

Mr Sai took the oath of office and secrecy as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Vishnu Deo Sai's name was announced as the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh on Sunday afternoon after a key meeting of the BJP's newly-elected 54 MLAs in the state was held in Raipur. 

He won the Kunkuri Assembly seat with a total of 87,604 votes.

Mr Sai is a prominent figure in the BJP and has held various positions, including being the former state chief and former union minister. Sai hails from the influential Sahu (Teli) community, which has a sizable presence in the Durg, Raipur and Bilaspur divisions. 

He served as the state president of the party for Chhattisgarh from 2020 until 2022. He was the Union Minister of State for Mines and Steel in the first PM Modi cabinet.

He is highly regarded among tribal voters. The new chief minister started his political career as a village sarpanch. In 1989, he was elected as a 'panch' of Bagia village panchayat and the next year, he became the sarpanch unopposed.

Meanwhile, from a village sarpanch, Sai rose to the rank of Union Minister of State for Steel in the first Cabinet of PM Modi. In 1998, he was defeated in the assembly polls from the Pathalgaon seat. 

Vishnu Deo won four consecutive Lok Sabha elections from the Raigarh constituency from 1999 to 2014. He was not given a ticket in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Of the 90 assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh, the BJP bagged 54 while the Congress won 35.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)