Chhattisgarh Cabinet Expansion: Nine BJP MLAs take oath as ministers in Vishnu Sai's govt

On taking oath as Chhattisgarh minister, BJP MLA Lakshmi Rajwade says, "BJP has given an opportunity to a small party worker like me. I am happy that I will represent not just the Bhatgaon constituency but the entire state... Women would be given priority and everything is possible under PM Modi's guarantee. While giving priority to women, I will work according to the directions of the party..."

Laxmi Rajwade won the Bhatgaon constituency by defeating Congress candidate Parasnath Rajwade with a margin of 43,962 votes. She is also being inducted as minister in the Chhattisgarh government. 

Tankram Verma won the Baloda Bazar constituency by defeating Congress candidate Shailesh Nitin Trivedi with a margin of 14,746 votes. He's also taking oath as minister in the newly formed government.

Omprakash Choudhary won the Raigarh constituency in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly Election by defeating Congress candidate Prakash Shakrajeet Naik with a margin of 64,443 votes.

Shyam Bihari Jaiswal won the Manendragarh constituency in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly Election by defeating Congress candidate Ramesh Singh Vakil with a margin of 11,880 votes.

Another MLA Lakhanlal Dewangan, won the Korba constituency by defeating Congress candidate Jaisingh Agrawal with a margin of 25,629 votes.

Kedar Kashyap, taking oath as minister in the newly formed Chhattisgarh government, won the Narayanpur constituency by defeating Congress candidate Chandan Kashyap with a margin of 19,188 votes.

BJP leader Dayaldas Baghel won election from Nawagarh constituency by defeating Congress candidate Guru Rudra Kumar with a margin of 15,177 votes. He's also taking oath as minister today.

Another MLA who is taking oath as minister today is Ram Vichar Netam. He won the Ramanujganj constituency in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly Election by defeating Congress candidate Dr Ajay Kumar Tirkey with a margin of 29,663 votes.

One of the MLAs Brijmohan Agrawal, who is taking oath as minister today, is a BJP's senior leader in Chhattisgarh. He is currently a member of the Chhattisgarh Assembly from the Raipur City South constituency.

Agarwal won the constituency in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly Election by defeating Congress candidate Dr Mahant Ramsundar Das with a margin of 67,719 votes.

On the swearing-in ceremony of 9 new Cabinet Ministers in Chhattisgarh, state BJP co-in-charge Nitin Nabin says, "Yesterday there was a session in which the entire team for formed. The BJP and PM Modi's team is ready to work on fulfilling the dream of Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee... The newly formed government will work on the promises made in the manifesto..."

After the expansion of the cabinet, it will have six members belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC), namely Arun Sao, Lakhanlal Dewangan, Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, OP Choudhary, Tank Ram Verma and Laxmi Rajwade.

CM Vishnu Deo Sai, Ramvichar Netam and Kedar Kashyap are from the Scheduled Tribes, Dayaldas Baghel is from the Scheduled Caste category, while Vijay Sharma and Brijmohan 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.

BJP MLA Lakshmi Rajwade, ahead of oath-taking ceremony, says, "BJP has given an opportunity to a small party worker like me. I am happy that I will represent not just the Bhatgaon constituency but the entire state... Women would be given priority and everything is possible under PM Modi's guarantee. While giving priority to women, I will work according to the directions of the party..."

On taking oath as Chhattisgarh minister, BJP MLA Kedar Kashyap says, "I thank the state unit, national unit and the CM for giving me the opportunity. I will try and meet their expectations. Our priority is to take the guarantees of PM Modi to every house household..."

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has said that soon the portfolios will be allotted to the ministers while one remaining cabinet berth will be filled later.

After the induction of the new MLAs, the strength of the Sai-led cabinet will rise to 12.

Chhattisgarh can have a maximum of 13 ministers, including the CM. Currently, the cabinet has three members -- chief minister Sai and two deputy CMs Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma. They were sworn in on December 13.

BJP MLAs Brijmohan Agrawal, Ramvichar Netam, Dayaldas Baghel, Kedar Kashyap, Lakhanlal Dewangan, Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, OP Choudhary, Tank Ram Verma and Laxmi Rajwade will take oath as ministers.

Chhattisgarh cabinet expansion will be held today. A total of nine MLAs will be sworn in as ministers at the Raj Bhavan.