Baghel flexes muscles, Singh Deo also camps in Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 27 Amid the political crisis on the issue of rotational chief ministership in Chhattisgarh, CM Bhupesh Baghel has shown his strength in Delhi with his supporter MLAs coming to the national capital where they met senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and PL Punia.

The Baghel camp claims the support of 56 MLAs from the Congress' 70 members in the 90-member assembly. Former Sarguja scion TS Singh Deo is also camping in Delhi.

The Congress high command has summoned Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to Delhi on Friday to take a final call on whether the powerful OBC leader should be allowed to continue as the CM or be replaced by TS Singh Deo.

Baghel met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for more than three hours as political temperatures within the Congress in Chhattisgarh soared as 56 party MLAs backed Baghel and were ready to parade before the party high command in New Delhi.

The Congress has 70 MLAs in the 90-member House in the mineral-rich state, but still everything is not well within the grand old party as Singh Deo is pushing hard in his bid to replace Baghel, saying he was promised in late 2018 that he would succeed Baghel after the latter completes two-and-a-half-years of his term.

Analysts in Chhattisgarh have been surprised at the way the Congress high command is attempting to handle the matter as Singh Deo lacks acceptability among the party cadres and appeal among the masses.