BJP’s Madhya Pradesh Surprise: Mohan Yadav Beats Many Known Faces
New Delhi:
The BJP has named a surprise pick as the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh – Mohan Yadav, 58, a leader from the Yadav OBC community. OBCs make up more than half of the state’s population but, interestingly, the Yadav community is not among the most influential.
On Monday evening, Mr Yadav was elected as leader of the BJP’s legislative party – 15 days after the party routed the Congress to win Madhya Pradesh. The outgoing Higher Education Minister, he thanked the BJP, saying, “I am a small party worker… I thank the party for this opportunity.”
“I thank all of you… state and central leadership (and), with your love and support, I will try to fulfil my responsibilities,” Mr Yadav, festooned with garlands, said after the meeting of the MLAs.
Soon after the BJP announcement, Mr Yadav met Governor Mangubhai Patel and staked a claim to form the next government.
READ | Who Is Mohan Yadav, New Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
In a key move seen as an emphasis on unity, Mr Yadav was nominated by outgoing Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a four-time head of the state government. “Other senior leaders… (former union ministers) Prahlad Patel and Narendra Singh Tomar, and (National General Secretary) Kailash Vijayvargiya supported the proposal, the BJP’s state unit boss, VD Sharma, told reporters.
The BJP, in a bid to soothe ruffled feathers ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, also named two deputy chief ministers – Jagdish Devda and Rajesh Shukla. Mr Devda was elected from Malhagarh by nearly 60,000 votes and Mr Shukla, who won the Rewa seat for a fifth time by around 21,000 votes.
Both Mr Devda and Mr Shukla also held cabinet berths in previous Chouhan governments.
Mr Tomar, one of three former cabinet members to contest the election, is the Assembly Speaker.
There was speculation he was in the running to succeed Mr Chouhan to the top post, as were Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Mr Patel. Both Mr Scindia and Mr Patel are also from OBCs. Mr Shukla, who must now be content with a deputy’s post, was believed to be a dark horse.
Shortly after Mr Yadav was announced, Shivraj Chouhan offered his congratulations, signalling an amicable transfer of power. Mr Chouhan hailed his successor as a hard-working person.