BJP picks Mohan Yadav as Madhya Pradesh CM, drops Shivraj
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday chose prominent leader Mohan Yadav (58) as the new chief minister of Madhya Pradesh after a week of suspense. He has been associated with the BJP since 1984. Moreover, Jagdish Devda and Rajendra Shukla have been appointed deputy chief ministers, while veteran saffron leader Narendra Singh Tomar has been made the speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.
Why does this story matter?
The BJP retained power in Madhya Pradesh in the recent assembly elections by winning 163 seats in the 230-member House. The Congress was restricted to just 66 seats as compared to the previous assembly elections in 2018, when it won 114 seats, nosing ahead of the BJP. The BJP eventually came to power in 2020 as the Congress government in the state was toppled.
Yadav is MLA from Ujjain South
Yadav was the state minister of higher education in the outgoing cabinet and is an MLA from the Ujjain South constituency. Notably, he has been elected to the state assembly for three consecutive times in 2013, 2018, and 2023.
Khattar, Laxman, Lakra were BJP observers for Madhya Pradesh
The announcement came after a meeting of the newly-elected party MLAs in Bhopal. The party's three central observers, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, K Laxman, and Asha Lakra, presided over the meeting. Earlier, the frontrunners for the chief ministerial position were said to be senior leaders like four-time CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Prahlad Singh Patel, Tomar, Kailash Vijayvargiya, VD Sharma, and Jyotiraditya Scindia.
BJP leaders celebrate Yadav's appointment as CM
Chouhan proposed Yadav's name: Report
After being named the CM, Yadav said, "I thank the central and state leadership for giving the responsibility to such a small leader like me. I will put in my best possible efforts with your blessings." He is reportedly considered to be close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's ideological parent. Chouhan proposed Yadav's name for the top post, per The Hindu.
Yadav's elevation comes as surprise
Ujjain South falls under the Ujjain Lok Sabha Constituency, which has been a saffron stronghold since 2003. The announcement came as a surprise since Yadav was not being considered part of the CM race. Separately, on Sunday, the BJP chose Vishu Deo Sai as Chhattisgarh's CM. The BJP's legislature meeting in Rajasthan is scheduled for Tuesday, where it is expected to declare Rajasthan's CM.
