'Congress Leaders Will Work Together': Chhattisgarh Deputy CM Asserts Unity Ahead Of State Polls

Newly-appointed Chhattisgarh Deputy CM TS Singh Deo said he had never spoken of an agreement over the rotation of the chief ministerial post. He emphasised that the party will fight the state election in unity.

Newly-appointed Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo on Thursday said that the Congress will fight the upcoming state assembly election on the faces of the incumbent CM Bhupesh Baghel and the party chief as per longstanding tradition to unitedly contest the polls. The remarks came as he was accorded a warm welcome by a huge crowd of supporters at the Raipur airport. The decision to appoint Deo as the deputy CM was reached just a few months ahead of state Assembly elections due this year-end, but Deo said the responsibility given even for a day is crucial.

"Our priority will be to work together for the development of the state. I will fulfill the responsibilities given to me," he said. "The CM is Bhupesh Baghel and we will fight on the face of the current CM and the PPCC chief, this is how Congress works but we will all work together. No single person can win you an election," he added.

According to news agency PTI, the Deputy Chief Minister said he had never spoken of an agreement over the rotation of the chief ministerial post and claimed it was a buzz created by the media. Asked about the two-and-half years of a power-sharing agreement between him and CM Bhupesh Baghel, Deo said, “I never discussed any 2.5-year agreement. It was a buzz in the media. However, I always got positive support from the media."

Arriving at the Raipur airport from New Delhi, he expressed gratitude to the party for the announcement of his elevation and said der aaye durust aaye (better late than never).

A huge crowd of supporters, welcoming Deo at the airport, raised slogans of "TS Baba zindabad", as per PTI.

The Congress party's move to appoint TS Singh Deo, locked in a turf war with CM Baghel for months, as deputy CM is believed to be an attempt to stem infighting in the state unit and prepare it for the year-end Assembly polls.

Baghel, who faces a formidable challenge from the Opposition BJP in the crucial Assembly elections, has hailed Deo's appointment, in order to put up a united face.

What works in TS Singh Deo's favour is that he is a prominent leader and has a considerable following in the northern part of Chhattisgarh (Surguja). The sitting MLA from Ambikapur also enjoys the confidence of the party's high command in New Delhi.

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