In T.S. Singh Deo’s elevation as Deputy Chief Minister in Chhattisgarh, the Congress high command has sent a strong signal to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to take everybody along to keep a united front ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in few months in the State.
In an order released Wednesday late night, the party had announced Mr. Deo’s promotion, settling a four-year-long feud. Since the party’s emphatic victory in the State in 2018, Mr. Deo has been invoking former Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s assurance that he would be handed over the reins halfway through the government tenure. Mr. Deo has largely maintained equanimity barring the only instance of public protest in July 2022 while relinquishing the Panchayati Raj portfolio and releasing a four-page-long resignation letter attacking his own government.
“The Baghel government has done very well and with this change the party stands united. The message is that all leaders and social groups must be carried along,” said a top-ranking Congress official.
