Raipur: First-time MP Tokhan Sahu was the only representative among the 10 newly elected BJP MPs from Chhattisgarh who were inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers on Sunday.
The move reflects the same level of representation seen in the previous BJP-led central government.
Sahu, who won the Bilaspur Lok Sabha seat in the recent elections, took oath as the Union Minister of State.
Since the formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000, the ruling BJP has consistently performed well in general elections, winning 10 out of 11 seats in the 2004, 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, the party won 9 out of 11 seats, increasing its tally to 10 in the 2024 elections.Amid speculations that an MP from the state will be elected as the Union Minister of State, the names of senior leaders like Brijmohan Aggarwal, Vijay Baghel and Santosh Pandey are being discussed in the political circles.
Agarwal, a sitting minister in the Vishnu Dev Sai government, won the Raipur Lok Sabha seat by a margin of more than 5 lakh votes.
Sitting MPs Baghel and Pandey retained their seats in Durg and Rajnandgaon respectively.
Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai had expressed hope that the BJP MP from Chhattisgarh would secure ministerial berths at the Centre, but stressed that the final decision rested with the Prime Minister.
In a surprise move, 55-year-old Sahu, who belongs to the influential Other Backward Caste (OBC), was chosen as minister of state, beating more experienced members of the party.
During Modi's previous tenure, Renuka Singh, the then MP from Surguja, was appointed Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs.Singh was later elected to the Chhattisgarh Assembly.
Sai, who served as Union Minister of State for Steel and Mines during Modi's first term (2014-19), congratulated Sahu after the swearing-in ceremony of the new NDA government in Delhi.
"It is a moment of pride for Chhattisgarh. His (Sahu's) inclusion in the Union Cabinet is a matter of happiness for the entire state."
"We will work together to fulfill the resolve of a developed India and a developed Chhattisgarh, taking the country and the state to new heights of development," SAI was quoted as saying in an official statement."
The move reflects the same level of representation seen in the previous BJP-led central government.
Sahu, who won the Bilaspur Lok Sabha seat in the recent elections, took oath as the Union Minister of State.
Since the formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000, the ruling BJP has consistently performed well in general elections, winning 10 out of 11 seats in the 2004, 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, the party won 9 out of 11 seats, increasing its tally to 10 in the 2024 elections.Amid speculations that an MP from the state will be elected as the Union Minister of State, the names of senior leaders like Brijmohan Aggarwal, Vijay Baghel and Santosh Pandey are being discussed in the political circles.
Agarwal, a sitting minister in the Vishnu Dev Sai government, won the Raipur Lok Sabha seat by a margin of more than 5 lakh votes.
Sitting MPs Baghel and Pandey retained their seats in Durg and Rajnandgaon respectively.
Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai had expressed hope that the BJP MP from Chhattisgarh would secure ministerial berths at the Centre, but stressed that the final decision rested with the Prime Minister.
In a surprise move, 55-year-old Sahu, who belongs to the influential Other Backward Caste (OBC), was chosen as minister of state, beating more experienced members of the party.
During Modi's previous tenure, Renuka Singh, the then MP from Surguja, was appointed Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs.Singh was later elected to the Chhattisgarh Assembly.
Sai, who served as Union Minister of State for Steel and Mines during Modi's first term (2014-19), congratulated Sahu after the swearing-in ceremony of the new NDA government in Delhi.
"It is a moment of pride for Chhattisgarh. His (Sahu's) inclusion in the Union Cabinet is a matter of happiness for the entire state."
"We will work together to fulfill the resolve of a developed India and a developed Chhattisgarh, taking the country and the state to new heights of development," SAI was quoted as saying in an official statement."
