Congress on Sunday chose Bhupesh Baghel to be the new chief minister of Chhattisgarh from among four strong contenders, four days after the party came to power in the assembly elections.
Congress on Sunday chose Bhupesh Baghel to be the new chief minister of Chhattisgarh from among four strong contenders, four days after the party came to power in the assembly elections.
The announcement was made at a meeting of legislators in Raipur, attended by Congress observer for the state, Mallikarjun Kharge and in-charge PL Punia.
The party also tweeted the decision, wishing him the best “as he forms a govt. of equality, transparency & integrity starting off with farm loan waiver for farmers as we promised”.
Baghel, who was the state unit Congress chief, will be sworn in as the chief minister in a ceremony that is likely to be held on December 17, sources said.
The process to pick the Chhattisgarh CM took longer than the announcements in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan after the Congress’s victories in the heartland states because of divided opinion within the state leadership of the party.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi had on Saturday tweeted a picture of himself flanked by all the four claimants to the post — Baghel, TS Singh Deo, Tamradhwaj Sahu, Baghel and Charan Das Mahant — hinting at the end of tussle over who would be the next CM of Chhattisgarh after holding discussions with the leaders at his residence in Delhi.
“No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team,” he had said, quoting Reid Hoffman.
The Congress, which struggled to make electoral inroads since 2013, on Tuesday handed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) its biggest defeat in three crucial heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, in a boost to the main opposition ahead of next year’s general election.
With only 15 seats, the BJP suffered a big defeat in Chhattisgarh while the Congress won in 68 seats in the 90-member assembly.
The announcement was made at a meeting of legislators in Raipur, attended by Congress observer for the state, Mallikarjun Kharge and in-charge PL Punia.
The party also tweeted the decision, wishing him the best “as he forms a govt. of equality, transparency & integrity starting off with farm loan waiver for farmers as we promised”.
Baghel, who was the state unit Congress chief, will be sworn in as the chief minister in a ceremony that is likely to be held on December 17, sources said.
The process to pick the Chhattisgarh CM took longer than the announcements in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan after the Congress’s victories in the heartland states because of divided opinion within the state leadership of the party.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi had on Saturday tweeted a picture of himself flanked by all the four claimants to the post — Baghel, TS Singh Deo, Tamradhwaj Sahu, Baghel and Charan Das Mahant — hinting at the end of tussle over who would be the next CM of Chhattisgarh after holding discussions with the leaders at his residence in Delhi.
“No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team,” he had said, quoting Reid Hoffman.
The Congress, which struggled to make electoral inroads since 2013, on Tuesday handed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) its biggest defeat in three crucial heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, in a boost to the main opposition ahead of next year’s general election.
With only 15 seats, the BJP suffered a big defeat in Chhattisgarh while the Congress won in 68 seats in the 90-member assembly.