RAIPUR: In a major decision ahead of the Assembly polls, the All Indian Congress Committee (AICC) on Wednesday appointed Deepak Baij, the party’s Lok Sabha member from Bastar, as the new state president of Chhattisgarh. Baij replaces Mohan Markam, MLA from north Bastar’s Kondagaon constituency.
Markam has not been given any new responsibility in the party organisation. A rift had evidently surfaced within the Congress after the Markam didn’t heed to the party in charge Kumari Selja’s directive to cancel his order on reshuffling six key office-bearers in the organisation when he stuck to continue with his decision.
CM Bhupesh Baghel too was unhappy with the Markam’s list which also ruffled many feathers within the Congress. Speculation is rife for the past few weeks over the likely appointment of a new state Congress chief in which young tribal face Baij remained as the frontrunner for the post.
Baij, who does not have extensive political experience to run an organisation, is also cited as a close confidant of Baghel. Before becoming the MP in 2019, Baij was an MLA.
The senior party leaders maintained that Markam has been removed by the top leadership since his tenure as the PCC chief was already over.
But there were reports of some wrangling between the government and the party organisation. The Congress hopes a tribal leader replaces another will not add to the arsenal of the opposition BJP.