Mr Sai is close to former Chief Minister Raman Singh, who served from 2003 to 2018.
The new Chief Minister’s political journey started from the post of a sarpanch.
Mr Sai had been an MLA from 1990 to 1998. He was elected from Raigarh constituency in the 1999 Lok Sabha election.
He became Chhattisgarh BJP chief in 2006, and a Union Minister of State in the centre.
Mr Sai is considered close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the BJP.

The BJP today ended the suspense over the Chief Minister pick in Chhattisgarh by naming prominent tribal leader Vishnu Deo Sai for the top job. However, weeks ahead of this announcement, Union Minister Amit Shah had dropped a big hint while canvassing for Mr Sai ahead of the Chhattisgarh assembly elections.

“Aap inko (Vishnu Deo Sai) vidhayak banado, unko bada aadmi banane ka kaam hum karenge (you make him MLA, we will make him a big man),” said Mr Shah while addressing a poll rally in Kunkuri – the seat Mr Sai won by defeating Congress’ sitting MLA UD Minj by a margin of 25,541 votes.

Kunkuri seat is in the state’s Surguja division where the BJP won all 14 segments.

The 59-year-old was elected leader of the BJP’s legislature party in the state during the meeting of 54 newly-elected party MLAs at the party’s state headquarters in Raipur.

“As the Chief Minister, I will try to fulfil PM Modi’s guarantees (pre-poll promises of the BJP) through the government,” Mr Sai said after the meeting.

Mr Sai started his political career as a village sarpanch and rose to become a Union minister and multiple-time Lok Sabha MP.

He also held various key positions within the party. He served as the State President of the BJP for Chhattisgarh from 2020 to 2022. He has also been a member of the National Executive Committee of the BJP.

He was the Union Minister of State for Steel in the first Narendra Modi government. Mr Sai has earned a reputation for being a dedicated and hardworking leader.

Naming Mr Sai as the Chief Minister is a significant move in the state Adivasis account for nearly 32 per cent of the population and are the second most dominant social group after OBCs.

The BJP won 54 seats in the 90-member Assembly in the recently held polls, while the Congress was reduced to 35 seats from the 68 it won in 2018. Significantly, the party, which had suffered a huge setback in tribal-dominated seats in 2018, won all the 14 assembly segments in the tribal-dominated Surguja region and eight out of the 12 seats in another Adivasi belt Bastar.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy met his predecessor, former Chief Minister and BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, today at a private hospital in Hyderabad, where he is currently being treated after a fall.

KCR was rushed to Hyderabad’s Yashoda Hospital after he fell at his farmhouse in Erravalli – around 60 km from Hyderabad – on December 7. He underwent a hip replacement surgery at the hospital.

At the hospital, Mr Reddy, who took oath as Chief Minister on December 8, checked with KCR’s family about the veteran’s health. The Chief Minister also spoke with the BRS chief, who spoke about about his injuries, a video showed.

#WATCH | Hyderabad: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy meets former CM and BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao at Yashoda Hospital

He underwent a total left hip replacement surgery after he fell in his farmhouse in Erravalli, on December 7.

(Video source – Telangana CMO) pic.twitter.com/OmQNVi1EWg

— ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2023

Speaking to reporters, Revanth Reddy said he has instructed the chief secretary and officials concerned to extend all necessary help and cooperation for KCR’s treatment, reported news agency PTI.

“I requested him (KCR) to recover fast and participate in the Telangana assembly session to voice the people’s concerns. His advice is needed to offer good governance to the people,” the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister’s hospital visit to check on KCR highlights a rare political camaraderie between rivals despite the daily political opposition.

Former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao suffered a hairline fracture in his hip after he slipped and fell in the washroom of his farmhouse in Erravalli late Thursday night. He is currently recuperating after surgery, his daughter K Kavitha said.

It will take around eight weeks for the veteran to recover, doctors said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the leader a speedy recovery and wrote: “Distressed to know that former Telangana CM Shri KCR Garu has suffered an injury. I pray for his speedy recovery and good health.”