Chhattisgarh power tussle: Won’t join BJP, can’t form new party, says Health Minister T S Singh Deo

When asked if he will form his own party, the minister quipped, “No, that requires a lot of money.” Deo’s remarks came months before the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls which are scheduled to take place later this year.

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Deo has been caught in a power tussle with Baghel ever since the Congress came to power in 2018. Deo, who was a contender in the CM race in the run-up to the elections, felt sidelined after Baghel took charge. While it has been said that the Congress leadership had proposed that Deo and Baghel will split the five year tenure, with Deo taking over two and half years of chief ministership, the duo have denied such an arrangement, calling it “media speculation”.

In December last year, Deo stated that he no longer wishes to contest the upcoming Assembly elections but will take a call after a discussion with his supporters. In July, Deo relinquished the charge of the crucial Panchayat and Rural Development portfolios, saying that the CM had not allocated funds under the PM Awas Yojana.