Vishnu Deo Sai, BJP's prominent tribal face, to be new chief minister of Chhattisgarh

Raipur: Vishnu Deo Sai, a prominent tribal face of the BJP, will be the next chief minister of Chhattisgarh where the saffron party returned to power after a gap of five years following the recently-concluded assembly polls.

Sai (59) was on Sunday elected leader of the BJP’s legislative party in the state during the meeting of 54 newly-elected party MLAs at Kushabhau Thakre Parisar, the party’s state headquarter here, a BJP functionary said.

Sai thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda and other party leaders for reposing faith in him to hold the top post in Chhattisgarh.

"As the chief minister, I will try to fulfil PM Modi's guarantees (pre-poll promises of the BJP) through the government," Sai told reporters after the meeting.

Sanctioning 18 lakh houses (to beneficiaries of a housing scheme) will be the first work (to be done) in the state, he said.

Sai was elected as an MLA from Kunkuri seat in the state's Surguja division. The BJP won all 14 segments in the region.

BJP's three observers - Union ministers Arjun Munda and Sarbananda Sonowal and party general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam - were present during the meeting of the newly elected party MLAs.

BJP's in-charge for Chhattisgarh Om Mathur, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya and party's co-in-charge for the state Nitin Nabin were also present.

The BJP won 54 out of the total 90 assembly seats in the state.

The Congress, which won 68 seats in 2018, was reduced to 35 seats this time.

The Gondwana Gantantra Party managed to win one seat.