Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who also held the post of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee president, turned emotional while handing over the charge of the party’s state chief to new president, Kondagaon MLA Mohan Markam on Saturday at Rajiv Bhawan, state headquarters of the Congress party.

Recalling his tenure as CPCC chief, Bhupesh Baghel said after the party had lost in assembly election in 2013, Rahul Gandhi had given him the charge.

The party had conducted several public movements against the then ruling party BJP from streets to assembly through massive agitations and strikes, Baghel said.  Party leaders even went to jail fighting for farmers, youth, women and poor, he recalled.

Baghel said Rahul Gandhi had laid the foundation stone of Rajiv Bhawan and after he became president, he inaugurated it. The entire  election management for the assembly poll was done from this office, for which all deserve the credit, he said.

Giving credit to T. S. Singhdeo, he said all party leaders and workers deserve the due recognition for staying together to make the turnaround in party’s electoral fortune in the state with a massive win in 2018 assembly elections. Chief Minister said party got the administrative and political guidance from Chhattisgarh incharge P. L. Punia

He said Mohan Markam is a person with a fighting spirit as he had been in the forefront of each foot march conducted across the state.

Markam will take the party ahead, Baghel said.