Three first-time MLAs among 9 BJP lawmakers inducted into Chhattisgarh cabinet

RAIPUR: Nine BJP lawmakers, including three first-time MLAs, were on Friday inducted into the Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai-led cabinet in Chhattisgarh, taking its strength to 12. Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan administered oath of office and secrecy to the nine MLAs, including a 31-year-old woman legislator, during a function held here at Raj Bhavan.

Two deputy chief ministers - Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma - had earlier taken oath on December 13 when Sai was sworn in as the chief minister.

The lawmakers who took oath on Friday include eight-term MLA Brijmohan Agrawal, senior party leaders and former ministers Ramvichar Netam, Kedar Kashyap and Dayaldas Baghel.

IAS-turned-politician OP Choudhary, Tank Ram Verma and Laxmi Rajwade, all first-time MLAs, and second-time legislators Shyam Bihari Jaiswal and Lakhanlal Dewangan have also been appointed as ministers.

CM Sai, his deputies Sao and Sharma, former CM Bhupesh Baghel, and assembly speaker Raman Singh were present on the occasion.

After the expansion of the cabinet, it has six members belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC) - Sao, Dewangan, Jaiswal, Choudhary, Verma and Rajwade.

CM Sai, Netam and Kashyap hail from the Scheduled Tribes, while Baghel is from the Scheduled Caste category. Sharma and Agrawal are from the general category.

Rajwade will be the only woman member in the cabinet.

Agrawal, Netam, Kashyap and Baghel have served as ministers in previous BJP governments in the state, while CM Sai has been a Union minister during the first term of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

Five members of the Sai cabinet - Sao, Sharma, Choudhary, Verma and Rajwade - are first-time MLAs.

After the expansion, the cabinet has four members from the Surguja division, three from Bilaspur division, two each from Raipur and Durg divisions and one from Bastar division.

Beating most predictions, the BJP registered a stunning victory in the state and ousted the Congress in the assembly polls held on November 7 and 17, whose results were declared on December 3.

The BJP won 54 seats, while the Congress bagged only 35, down from the 68 seats it had won in the 2018 polls.

The portfolios of the ministers are yet to be announced.

The Chhattisgarh cabinet can have 13 ministers at most, including the chief minister. The state has 90 assembly seats.

Brief profiles of the ministers who were sworn in on Friday.

1. Brijmohan Agrawal: One of the senior BJP politicians and the tallest leader from the Agrawal community in the state, Agrawal (64) has served as a minister in the undivided Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In the recently held elections, Agrawal won from Raipur City South constituency by the highest margin of 67,719 votes against Congress' Mahant Ramsundar Das, becoming the eighth straight-term MLA and remaining unbeaten since 1990.

2. Ramvichar Netam: A prominent tribal face of the party in Surguja division in northern Chhattisgarh, Netam (61) won the Ramanujganj seat this time defeating Congress' Ajay Tirkey by 29,663 votes. Netam, a six-term MLA, was also elected as Rajya Sabha MP in 2016 and had served as minister twice in the Raman Singh-led BJP government in Chhattisgarh (2003 and 2008). He was also appointed as the pro-tem speaker of the newly elected assembly.

3. Kedar Kashyap: The 49-year-old MLA, who comes from the Bastar region (south), is another prominent tribal leader. Kashyap defeated Congress' sitting MLA Chandan Kashyap in Narayanpur seat by 19,188 votes this time. A four-term MLA, Kahsyap had served as a minister in the Raman Singh-led BJP government in 2008 and 2013.

Kashyap led the BJP's onslaught against the previous ruling Congress over alleged religious conversion in the Bastar region, helping the party put up a good show in the tribal-dominated region. He is the son of BJP stalwart and former MP Late Baliram Kashyap.

4. Dayaldas Baghel: A four-term MLA, Baghel (69) hails from the SC community. He defeated Guru Rudra Kumar, an influential SC leader and minister in the previous Congress government, in Nawagarh this time. He started his career as a sarpanch and became an MLA in 2003 for the first time. He served as minister in the third term (2013-18) of the Raman Singh-led BJP government in the state.

5. Lakhanlal Dewangan: The 61-year-old defeated an influential minister in the previous Congress government, Jai Singh Agarwal, in Korba. Dewangan, who comes from the OBC community, was elected as an MLA for the first time from Katghora in 2013. He had also served as a mayor in Korba district from 2005 to 2010.

6. Shyam Bihari Jaiswal: He defeated Congress' Ramesh Singh Vakil in Manendragarh seat. Jaiswal (47) was elected as an MLA for the first time in 2013. He comes from the OBC community and has earlier served as state president of BJP's Kisan Morcha.

7. OP Choudhary: A 2005-batch IAS officer, Choudhary (42) quit his high-profile career and joined the BJP. He unsuccessfully contested the 2018 elections from Kharsia in Raigarh district, a seat which the BJP has never won since 1977 when the constituency came into existence.

This time, Choudhary won from adjoining Raigarh district. He hails from 'Agharia' caste, an influential OBC community in the area. He was popular among youths for his education projects and swift decisions in Dantewada and Raipur during his tenure as collector. During BJP's campaign in Raigarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had urged the people to ensure Choudhary's victory, promising to make him a "big man".

8. Tank Ram Verma: The first-time MLA won from Baldoabazar defeating Congress' Shailesh Nitin Trivedi. Verma (61) had served as personal assistant of former BJP MP Ramesh Bais and Kedar Kashyap, who took oath as minister along with him, in the past. He comes from the Kurmi community, an influential OBC group.

9. Laxmi Rajwade: The 31-year-old MLA is the only woman member of the cabinet and the youngest. The first-time MLA defeated Congress' sitting MLA Paras Nath Rajwade in Bhatgaon. She also comes from the OBC community. Earlier, she was president of BJP Mahila Morcha in Surajpur district.
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