Newly appointed Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo rubbished reports of an "agreement" over rotation of the chief ministerial post and claimed it was a buzz created by the media.
Reports had claimed that as per an "understanding" reached in 2018, Singh Deo was supposed to take over after Baghel completed half of his term. Both the leaders have reportedly been at loggerheads since the party came to power in the state in 2018.
A day after the Congress's move to appoint TS Singh Deo as the deputy chief minister of Chhattisgarh, the latter expressed his gratitude to the party for the announcement of his elevation and said "der aaye durust aaye" (better late than never). "We have to go ahead by taking everyone together and try to complete the work in the limited time we have (until the State election)...," he said.
Asked about the two-and-half years of power-sharing "agreement" between him and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Singh 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."
On the upcoming state election, Singh Deo said, "The Government has worked, we have to work together. The last results were unprecedented, I had never fathomed that we will get 68 seats. But voters of Chhattisgarh gave us this opportunity. We will go to them once again to seek their support and confidence..."
A Congress statement on Wednesday said party president Mallikarjun Kharge approved the proposal for the appointment of Singh Deo as the deputy chief minister in Chhattisgarh. Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh are slated for later this year.
The Congress's move to appoint Singh Deo, locked in a turf war with CM Baghel for months, as deputy CM appears to be an attempt to stem infighting in the state unit and prepare it for the polls.
Baghel faces a formidable challenge from the Opposition BJP in the crucial Assembly elections. In the interest of putting up a united face, he hailed Singh Deo's appointment after the announcement.
