Ex-Chhattisgarh Congress chief Mohan Markam takes oath as cabinet minister

Mohan Markam, a senior Congress leader from the tribal community, replaced fellow tribal leader and MLA Premsai Singh Tekam as a minister in the Bhupesh Baghel Cabinet

Two days after he was replaced as the Congress party's Chhattisgarh unit president, tribal leader Mohan Markam was sworn in as a minister in the Bhupesh Baghel-led cabinet on Friday.

Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Markam during a swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan here. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was present on the occasion. Markam is yet to be assigned a portfolio.

The resignation of state School Education Minister Premsai Singh Tekam on Thursday paved the way for Markam's entry into the Baghel cabinet. The development comes a few months ahead of the state Assembly elections.

Markam (56), who represents the Kondagaon assembly seat, is a prominent tribal face of the grand old party in Bastar region-south Chhattisgarh. A two-time MLA, Markam had been leading the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee since June 2019.

He was the first tribal president of the state Congress after Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in November 2000.

On Wednesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appointed MP Deepak Baij, who represents the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, as the party's Chhattisgarh unit chief replacing Markam.

Markam came to limelight when he defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party's powerful minister and prominent woman tribal leader Lata Usendi in the 2013 Assembly elections from Kondagaon.

Markam had contested the Assembly elections for the first time on a Congress ticket against Usendi in 2008, but at that time he had lost. In 2018, he defeated Usendi for the second time from Kondagaon.

Born at Tedmunda village under Makdi tehsil of Kondagaon district on September 15, 1967, Markam has been active in politics since his student days.

As per the Constitutional provision, the strength of the cabinet of Chhattisgarh cannot exceed 13, including the chief minister. The current strength of the state cabinet is 13.