Raipur: Poll-bound Chhattisgarh witnessed a cabinet reshuffle of its 13 cabinet members following the induction of the former state congress chief Mohan Markam as a minister. According to the official notification, newly appointed deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo has been assigned to the Department of Energy along with Public Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, 20-point implementation, and Commercial Taxes )GST) which he already held.
Markam has been assigned with Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and other backward classes and minorities development departments which were earlier held by Presmai Singh Tekam. Markam who was president of the State Congress since June 2019, was replaced by Bastar MP Deepal Baij.
Ravindra Choubey has now been allotted Panchayat and Rual Development, Parliamentary Affairs, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Water Resources, and Anicut Departments. He has been allotted with School Education and Cooperative, a department earlier held by Tekam. While Tamradhwaj Sadhu now holds Agriculture Development, Farmers Welfare, and Bio Technology Departments, he shall continue to hold his existing portfolios of Home, Jail, Public Works Department, Tourism, Dharmik Nyas, and Dharmasvs.
The cabinet reshuffle comes at a time when the Congress is gearing up for the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh. The party is hoping to retain power in the state, where it has been in office since 2018.
The reshuffle is seen as an attempt by CM Baghel to to send a message of unity ahead of the polls. It is also seen as an attempt to address the concerns of Deo and his supporters.
The reshuffle has been welcomed by the Congress party, which sees it as a positive step ahead of the assembly elections. However, it has also been criticized by some political observers, who say that it is a sign of the growing factionalism within the party.