T S Singh Deo Appointed Chhattisgarh CM Baghel's Deputy

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's rival T S Singh Deo has been appointed as his deputy ahead of state polls.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal formally announced the news of his appointment on Twitter. He said, "INC President Sh. Mallikarjun @kharge ji has approved the proposal for appointment of Sh. TS Singh Deo @TS_SinghDeo ji as the Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. He is a loyal Congress leader and an able administrator. The state will benefit greatly from his services as Deputy CM."

He stated, "We are confident that the people of Chattisgarh will re-elect the Congress with a thumping majority under the leadership of Kharge ji and Rahul Gandhi ji."

Currently, Deo is serving as a Cabinet Minister for Health in the Chhattisgarh government.

Thanking party President, Deo said, "First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for this responsibility given to me by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge...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)..."

On the upcoming election, the newly appointed Chhattisgarh Deputy CM expressed confidence over emerging victorious. He 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..."

He has been elected from Ambikapur Assembly Constituency three times since 2008. In 2018 polls, he defeated his BJP opponent Anurag Singh Deo with a margin of 39,624 votes.

"We are ready. Congratulations and best wishes to Maharaj Saheb for his responsibility as deputy chief minister," Baghel said after the formal announcement.