Mohan Yadav, aged 58 and serving as the Minister of Advanced Education in the state government, has been chosen from the Ujjain Dakshin seat to succeed Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the Chief Minister.
The BJP has made an unexpected decision in appointing Mohan Yadav, a 58-year-old leader from the Yadav OBC community, as the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Despite OBCs constituting more than half of the state’s population, the Yadav community is not considered among the most influential.
On Monday evening, Mr. Yadav was designated as the leader of the BJP’s legislative party, a move that came 15 days after the party’s decisive victory over the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. Mr. Yadav, the Minister of Advanced Education, expressed his gratitude to the BJP, stating, “I’m a humble party worker, and I thank the party for this opportunity.”
“I extend my thanks to all of you, including state and central leadership, and with your love and support, I’ll strive to fulfill my responsibilities,” Mr. Yadav, adorned with garlands, stated after the meeting with the MLAs.
Following the BJP’s announcement, Mr. Yadav met Governor Mangubhai Patel and asserted his claim to form the upcoming government. In a crucial move emphasizing unity, Mr. Yadav was nominated by the outgoing Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has served four terms. Other senior leaders, including former union ministers Prahlad Patel and Narendra Singh Tomar, along with National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, supported the nomination, as confirmed by the BJP’s state unit chief, VD Sharma.
In an effort to pacify potential concerns ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP also appointed two deputy chief ministers, Jagdish Devda and Rajesh Shukla. Mr. Devda secured victory from Malhagarh by nearly 60,000 votes, while Mr. Shukla, winning the Rewa seat for the fifth time with around 21,000 votes, also held press positions in previous Chouhan governments.
Mr. Tomar, one of the three former chief ministers who contested the election, currently serves as the Assembly Speaker. There were speculations about his potential succession to the top post, along with Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Mr. Patel. Both Scindia and Patel also belong to OBCs. Mr. Shukla, now content with a deputy’s position, was considered a dark horse.
Shortly after Mr. Yadav’s announcement, Shivraj Chouhan extended his congratulations, signaling a smooth transition of power. Chouhan praised his successor as a hardworking individual.
This development concludes the suspense over the identity of two of the three principal ministers for the states the BJP won on December 3. Vishnu Deo Sai was named Chhattisgarh Chief Minister on Sunday.
