Vishnu Deo Sai taking oath as Chhattisgarh Chief Minister
Vishnu Deo Sai took oath as the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh this evening. Mr Sai's deputies, Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma, also took the oath of office. Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the leaders.
The swearing-in ceremony, held in Raipur, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, among other leaders.
Earlier in the day, Mohan Yadav took oath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister in the presence of PM Modi Amit Shah and other leaders.
The BJP, balancing the caste dynamics in the three heartland states it recently won, sprung a massive surprise with its choice of Chief Ministers and their deputies.
In Chhattisgarh, the BJP's appointment of tribal leader Vishnu Deo Sai is in line with the PM's idea of having a tribal Chief Minister for a state with a considerable tribal population. The party won all 14 seats in the tribal-dominated Surguja region and eight of the 12 seats in Bastar.
Of Mr Sai's two deputies, Arun Sao is a prominent Other Backward Classes leader, while Vijay Sharma represents the Brahmin community.
Raman Singh, who has run the state government for 15 years, has been made the Speaker of the state assembly. He is expected to play a crucial role in campaigning for the BJP in the run-up to the 2024 general elections. Mr Singh is an important leader for the party and represents the Rajput community.
With these key appointments, which came after over a week of deliberations, the BJP is looking to nip any factionalism that may arise.
According to the BJP, Vishnu Deo Sai and not Ajit Jogi is Chhattisgarh's first tribal Chief Minister. It has contradicted Mr Jogi's status as a tribal.
Ajit Jogi's Scheduled Tribe status was challenged in the Chhattisgarh High Court, which ordered a committee to examine the matter.