Vishnu Deo Sai (59) who was chosen by the Bharatiya Janata Party as the new Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Assembly, has worked his way up, from a village sarpanch to the most coveted post in the State.
While his tribal identity and relative seniority in the party hierarchy were considered crucial to his selection as CM ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha election, his affable nature, reputation for being low-profile, and backing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), were also contributing factors.
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Besides being a former Union Minister, Mr. Sai is a four-time MP, three-time MLA, and had been the State BJP president twice. Hailing from a political family - his grandfather was a nominated MLA and one of his uncles served as an MP and Union Minister - Mr. Sao took the political plunge in 1980 and won his first election in 1989 from Bagia, his home village in Jashpur district of the then undivided Madhya Pradesh.
During the campaign phase of the Assembly election in a State where the BJP had not projected a Chief Ministerial face, it was almost unthinkable for most observers that an unassuming person such as Mr. Sai, who prefers to stay in the background, would be the eventual pick for the top office. However, the first hint of the party having bigger plans for him came at the peak of the campaign, courtesy a “bada aadmi” or “big shot” remark by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“Aap inko vidhayak banado, unko bada aadmi banane ka kaam hum karenge [You make him an MLA, we will make him a big shot],” said Mr. Shah while campaigning for Mr. Sai in Kunkuri, a constituency he would go on to win by 25,541 votes.
However, on that very day, Mr. Shah had said the same for O.P. Choudhary, a bureaucrat-turned-politician contesting from the Raigarh seat. The election itself was seen as a tough fight for the BJP against the then ruling Congress which had a strong CM face in Bhupesh Baghel. Weeks later, the tables turned and the BJP won 54 seats in the 90-member Assembly, its highest tally ever. The Congress was reduced to 35.
A major factor in BJP’s win this time was its performance in Sarguja and Bastar, where it together won 22 of the 26 seats on offer. In making these gains, the BJP reversed the trends witnessed in the 2018 election, when Congress won major victories in the tribal belts and dislodged the BJP after three continuous tenures. At present, the BJP holds 17 of the 29 seats reserved for tribals in the State. This was also the first election where the issue of a tribal Chief Minister was prominently raised, by a new outfit led by former Union Minister called Hamar Raj, although the party itself could not make an impact.
With a general election on the horizon, the BJP believes that apart from giving Sarguja its due, this will have a ripple effect in Bastar and also on neighbouring States such as Jharkhand and Odisha where Assembly elections are due next year, said sources. The two-Deputy CM formula is also seen as a measure to ensure that no major caste group is antagonised.
On the question on being a prominent tribal face for the party after his name was announced, Mr. Sai said that the BJP had always respected the tribal community, referring to the appointment of Droupadi Murmu as the first tribal woman President of the country and the formation of a separate Ministry for the welfare of tribals when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was in power.
Mr. Sai has completed higher secondary education and is father of three children - a son and two daughters. Last year, when he was replaced by Arun Sao as the State BJP president, the ruling Congress had taken pot shots at the BJP for removing a tribal State president on World Tribal Day. He himself chose to play down the issue. His family members who expressed joy at his appointment said that his mild-mannered and soft-spoken ways have brought him success so far and would take him further ahead.
Soon after his name was announced, shouts of “Aadivasi Raj Karhi” [Chhattisgarhi tribals will rule] also filled the air inside the Kushabhau Thakre Parisar, the headquarters of the Chhattisgarh BJP, signifying the potential of the decision in a State where 32% of the population is tribal. This could also have an impact on the Opposition Congress as unlike the OBCs of the plains who are divided into numerous castes and sub-castes, tribals form a consolidated political identity.
