Congress names Charan Das Mahant as new leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh

Three Congress leaders were in the race for the post for the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in Chhattisgarh- Charan Das Mahant, former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, and former minister Umesh Patel

Senior Congress MLA and former speaker of the state assembly Charan Das Mahant will be the leader of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in Chhattisgarh, with the party high command clearing his appointment on Saturday.

Charan Das Mahant. (File)

According to a press release shared by the Congress state unit, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal for the appointment of Mahant as the CLP leader of Chhattisgarh, with immediate effect.

The Congress President has also approved the proposal to continue Deepak Baij as the president of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee.

The release was issued by AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal.

The newly elected MLAs of Congress in Chhattisgarh had a meeting on Wednesday and unanimously passed a resolution authorising party president Kharge to decide the next party leader in the state.

Three Congress leaders were in the race for the post- Mahant, former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, and former minister Umesh Patel.

Patel, the son of the late Congress leader Nand Kumar Patel, was a young face in the race.

Mahant was the Speaker in the Assembly from 2018 to 2023 and was also the former Union minister of state for Agriculture and Food Processing during the UPA’s tenure.

In the 2023 elections, Mahant defeated Khilawan Sahu of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by over 12,000 votes.

From 2004 to 2013, Mahant, on various occasions, held the post of working and full-time Congress state president, but was unable to bring his party to power in both the 2008 and 2013 assembly elections.

“As most senior leaders, including TS Singh Deo, Ravindra Choubey, Muhammad Akbar, and Jai Singh Agarwal lost elections, there was not much choice in front of the state Congress, a senior leader claimed.

Notably, barring Kawasi Lakhma and Anila Bhedia, all the cabinet ministers lost assembly elections.

People familiar with the matter said that Baghel was reluctant for the CLP post while two-time party president Mahant was eager for the post.

“Mahant was trying hard for the post,” said a Congress MLA.

However, some MLAs and leaders were of the view that Baghel should be given the post because of his image as an aggressive leader in opposition.

“Baghel ji was not interested in the post and he has told everyone that he doesn’t want any post in the party for some time after the assembly elections result,” said a close aide of Baghel.

Political commentators believe that since Mahant has a senior image in the party his appointment will help the party in coming times.

“With Bhupesh’s denial, Congress was left only with Charan Das for the CLP post, as he is the senior most leader and carries vast experience with him. Also, Congress has no tribal face other than Baij; his re-appointment as the party president confirms the same,” said Harsh Dubey, a political commentator based in Chhattisgarh.

“Congress is a party known to take decisions slowly owning up to its Grand Old Party’s image. But, with this decision of making Charan Das Mahant the Leader of the Opposition and continuing with Deepak Baij as the PCC President, who could not save his own seat, the party appears to have taken a decision in haste. Needless to say, the party could have pondered a little more, as this election’s loss was completely unexpected by the party leaders and required some major thinking and analysis,” said a senior Congress leader, preferring anonymity.

In the 2023 assembly elections, while the BJP won 54 of the 90 seats, the Congress, which had won 68 seats in 2018, was reduced to 35 seats. The Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) managed to win one seat.