It's Bhupesh Baghel: Congress announces new Chhattisgarh CM

Congress on Sunday announced that Bhupesh Baghel will be the new Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, five days after the party registered a landslide victory in the state. Baghel was elected the leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) at a meeting of the newly-elected party MLAs on Sunday, paving way for him to become next Chief Minister.

Four senior leaders - Bhupesh Baghel, TS Singh Deo, Tamradhwaj Sahu and Charan Das Mahant - were vying for the post.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi held deliberations with the four leaders at his Tughlaq Lane residence in the national capital on Saturday.

At a legislature party meeting in Raipur, the MLAs elected Baghel as their leader. 

"Celebrations are in order in Chhattisgarh as Bhupesh Baghel is appointed CM. We wish him the best as he forms a govt. of equality, transparency & integrity starting off with farm loan waiver for farmers as we promised," Congress announced on its Twitter handle. 

On December 12, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) had met here in the presence of AICC observer Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC-in-charge for Chhattisgarh, PL Punia. 

It had passed a resolution authorising Gandhi to take a final call on who would be the next chief minister.

Party functionaries said Gandhi had held the first round of meeting with Kharge and Punia on December 13.

The BJP had questioned the delay in choosing a CM with BJP state general secretary Sachchidanand Upasane asking how the party intended to run the government when it was taking so much time to zero in on a chief minister.

In the two-phase polls that took place on November 12 and November 20, the Congress won 68 seats in the 90-member House and the BJP, in power since 2003, was reduced to 15 seats.

(With PTI inputs)