RAIPUR: Bhupesh Baghel will be the new chief minister of Chhattisgarh. Baghel, who is the Congress' state unit chief, was elected the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader by the MLAs. He will take oath at 5 PM on Monday. The Congress said on Twitter: "Celebrations are in order in Chhattisgarh as Bhupesh Baghel is appointed CM. We wish him the best as he forms a government of equality, transparency and integrity starting off with farm loan waiver for farmers as we promised."


Baghel met Chhattisgarh governor Anandiben Patel along with other leaders."For appointment of deputy chief minister and cabinet, decision to be taken after I take oath tomorrow. Many national leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi and chief ministers of several states, are expected to be present in the oath-taking ceremony," he said.

The 57-year-old OBC leader, who steered the party to a stupendous victory with a two-thirds majority in Chhattisgarh pipped party colleagues T S Singh Deo, Tamradhwaj Sahu and Charan Das Mahant to the top post, as Congress chief Gandhi decided on his candidature to lead the state government.

Five Things To Know About Bhupesh Baghel

1: Bhupesh Baghel is a powerful leader of the OBC community which makes up 52 per cent of the state's 2.55 crore population.

2 The five-time MLA launched his political career in early 1980s from Durg district under the guidance of the late Chandulal Chandrakar. He joined the Youth Congress in 1985 and was elected to the undivided Madhya Pradesh Assembly for the first time in 1993. He was Revenue Minister in Ajit Jogi's first government in Chhattisgarh that was voted out in 2003.

3: Baghel was also in the centre-stage of the ousted BJP government's attacks and was recently jailed for some days in Raipur after he was charge-sheeted by the CBI for his alleged role in the circulation of a sleaze CD against a powerful BJP Minister in Chhattisgarh.



4: Baghel is credited with leading the party from the front in the fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and scripting the crushing defeat of the 15-year-old regime of Raman Singh.

5: Baghel is the President of Chhattisgarh Congress since October 2014. He pipped party colleagues T S Singh Deo, Tamradhwaj Sahu and Charan Das Mahant to the top post, as Congress chief Gandhi decided on his candidature to lead the state government.

Top party leadership have had intense discussions over the past three days before deciding on Baghel, the MLA from Patan constituency in Durg district, as the chief minister. Rahul Gandhi had held several rounds of discussion with the four aspirants at his Tughlaq Lane residence in New Delhi on Saturday.

In the two-phase polls that took place on November 12 and November 20, the Congress had romped home to power in Chhattisgarh after 15 years with a two-third majority, winning 68 seats in the 90-member House. The BJP, which was in power in the state since 2003, was reduced to 15 seats.