Chhattisgarh CM announcement Live updates: Congress Party again postponed the announcement of the name of Chhattisgarh CM candidate till Sunday. Congress state in-charge PL Punia said that a meeting will be convened tomorrow at 12 pm and the name of new Chhattisgarh CM will be announced after the meet. He advised the media not to hurry as the Governor has given the time till December 17 for the oath-taking ceremony.
After selecting chief ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi held hectic parleys with top party leaders on Saturday to decide on the top post for Chhattisgarh.
Gandhi met Chhattisgarh’s four potential chief minister candidates, T S Singh Deo, Tamradhwaj Sahu, Bhupesh Baghel and Charan Das Mahant, at his Tughlaq Lane residence in New Delhi and held discussions with them.
The Congress registered a landslide victory in the state in the recently concluded polls by winning 68 of the 90 seats. The BJP, in power since 2003, was reduced to 15 seats.
As many as 24 of the 90 MLAs in the newly-elected Chhattisgarh Assembly have declared that they are facing criminal cases.
Thirteen of them are facing serious charges including assault and criminal intimidation, a report prepared by two NGOs said.
Meanwhile, outgoing Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said that he will not move to the Centre but remain in state politics.
With an eye on 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Congress president has apparently chose to play safe by going with the old guard in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as he selected veterans Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot for the posts of CM to lead their respective states. The Congress on Friday named Ashok Gehlot as Rajasthan’s next chief minister and Sachin Pilot his deputy.
Highlights
Chhattisgarh Congress in-charge PL Punia said that a meeting will be convened tomorrow at 12 pm and the name of new Chhattisgarh CM will be announced after the meet.
The decision on Chhattisgarh CM may be delayed till tomorrow. Earlier, Tamradhwaj Sahu was nearly set to be the next chief minister but others did not appear convince and they all have returned to Rahul Gandhi's residence, according to The Indian Express sources.
One of the CM contenders, TS Singh Deo said "We have more than 1 eligible name that is why process is taking time, in any case final result came late on 11th so it has just been 4 days today. BJP which took more than 7-8 days to appoint its recent CMs should not comment on us."
Congress, which was out of power in the state since 2003 staged a resounding comeback particularly riding on poll promises of farmers' loan waiver and a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2,500 for paddy.
With the Congress storming to power in the state, the cooperative department has started the process of collecting details of the outstanding loans of farmers, in view of the loan waiver promise made by the party in its poll manifesto.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) is slated to be held at 4.00 pm in Raipur, the capital city of the state. However, it was not clear whether the announcement would be made in Delhi or in Raipur. Congress' central observer Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC in-charge for party affairs in Chhattisgarh P L Punia were also present at the meeting.
Reportedly, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also present at the Congress chief's residence.
This is the third round of discussion that the Congress chief is holding before selecting the chief minister for Chhattisgarh, where the party romped home to power after 15 years with two-third majority.
Chhattisgarh: Congress workers and leaders also gather outside Chhattisgarh PCC President Bhupesh Baghel's residence in Raipur. Chief Minister to be announced later today.
Chhattisgarh: Congress workers and leaders gather outside T S Singh Deo's residence in Raipur. Chief Minister to be announced later today.
Chhattisgarh: Congress workers and leaders gather outside T S Singh Deo's residence in Raipur. Chief Minister to be announced later today.
After selecting chief ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi held hectic parleys with top party leaders Saturday to decide on the top post for Chhattisgarh. Sources said Gandhi met Chhattisgarh’s four potential chief minister candidates — T S Singh Deo, Tamradhwaj Sahu, Bhupesh Baghel and Charan Das Mahant — at his Tughlaq Lane residence and held discussions with them. Read More: Rahul meets top Congress leaders
'In any case final result came late on 11th so it has just been 4 days today. BJP which took more than 7-8 days to appoint its recent CMs should not comment on us,' Deo said.
One of the leading contenders for Chhattisgarh's CM post, senior congress leader TS Singh Deo has said that the delay is due to the fact that the party has 'more than one eligible name.'
Senior Congress leader Mohammad Akbar won by the highest margin of 59,284 votes against his BJP rival in the just concluded Chhattisgarh Assembly polls. He also got the highest 1,36,320 votes, as compared to the remaining candidates in the fray in the state polls, as per the EC data.
Former chief minister Ajit Jogi-led Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) managed to win five seats while his ally BSP got two seats.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Friday had denied any differences within the party and said a due process of consultation was on. "Be it Rajasthan or Chhattisgarh, a due process of discussions is on among the leaders so that we can form a good government. Madhya Pradesh has been decided and chief minister's issue will be decided for Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in a day or two also," he had said.
Besides Deo, Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel, Charan Das Mahant and Tamradhwaj Sahu are in the race for the top job of state where Congress wrested power from the BJP after 15 years.