Bhagat inducted into Bhupesh Baghel cabinet in Chhattisgarh

Amarjeet Bhagat, four-time MLA from Sitapur, was Saturday inducted into the Bhupesh Baghel cabinet in Chhattisgarh, taking its strength to 13. Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office and secrecy to Bhagat at Raj Bhavan here in a function attended by CM Baghel, Assembly Speaker Charan Das Mahant among others.

Bhagat (51), a prominent tribal face of the Congress in north Chhattisgarh's Surguja region, has been elected MLA four times in a row (2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018) from Sitapur Assembly (ST) seat. Sources said senior leaders like former PCC chief Dhanendra Sahu, former ministers Satyanarayan Sharma and Amitesh Shukla, besides Bhagat, were among the front-runners tipped for the ministerial berth.

Chances of Bhagat being inducted into the cabinet brightened on Friday after Mohan Markam, another MLA from a tribal-dominated Bastar region, was made state Congress chief. With the induction of Bhagat, the number of tribal ministers in Baghel's cabinet has reached four, Premsai Singh, Kawasi Lakhma and Anila Bhediya being the others.

Bhagat was said to be a trusted aide of former chief minister Ajit Jogi who quit the Congress and floated his own party. Bhagat, however, did not follow Jogi and remained in Congress.