Video: Vishnu Deo Sai takes oath as Chhattisgarh CM in presence of PM Modi, Shah and BJP Top Brass

The BJP had on Sunday announced the name of Vishnu Deo Sai as its CM candidate after a meeting of the party’s newly elected 54 MLAs in the state was held in Raipur.

Vishnu Deo Sai takes oath as Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh at a ceremony in Raipur, Wednesday, December 13, 2023. Also seen are newly sworn-in Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. (PTI photo)

Raipur: Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday took oath as the new Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh at a swearing-in ceremony in the capital Raipur in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other top figures of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). including party chief JP Nadda.

Chhattisgarh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan administered the oath of office to Sai at the Science College premises in Raipur. The oath ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and other senior party leaders. Former Prime Minister Bhupesh Baghel was also present.

Swearing-in ceremony of the new government of Chhattisgarh. https://t.co/qprBZulSJ1

—BJP (@BJP4India) December 13, 2023

Vijay Sharma and Arun Sao were also sworn in as two of Sai’s deputies.

The BJP had on Sunday announced the name of Vishnu Deo Sai as its CM candidate after a meeting of the party’s newly elected 54 MLAs in the state was held in Raipur. Sai, a reputed tribal leader, won the Kunkuri Assembly seat with a total of 87,604 votes.

Who is Vishnu Deo Sai?

Vishnu Deo Sai, a prominent figure in the BJP, is the former state chief of the BJP and a former union minister in the PM-Modi-led central government.

Sai comes from the influential Sahu (Teli) community, which has a significant presence in Durg, Raipur and Bilaspur divisions. From 2020 to 2022, he served as the party’s state chairman for Chhattisgarh. Sai was the Minister of State for Mines, Steel in the first Prime Minister Modi cabinet.

Vishnu Deo Sai, a big name among the tribal voters, started his political career from the grassroots. Sai was elected as the ‘panch’ of Bagia village panchayat in 1989 and a year later became the Sarpanch (village head) after being elected unopposed.

Sai’s first foray into state-level politics did not go as planned as he lost the 1998 Assembly elections from the Pathalgaon seat. However, a year later, the tribal leader won four consecutive Lok Sabha elections from 1999 to 2014 in the Raigarh constituency.

The BJP did not field Sai in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Sai, 59, is the fourth chief minister of Chhattisgarh state, which was created in 2020.

Chhattisgarh Assembly Election 2023

The BJP scored a decisive victory in the recently held State Assembly elections, winning 54 seats in the 90-member Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, while the incumbent Congress was ousted from power, winning only 35 seats.