The newly elected BJP MLAs in Madhya Pradesh have chosen Dr. Mohan Yadav as the state's new chief minister, bringing an end to days of anticipation. Contrary to initial expectations, Yadav emerged as a dark horse in the Chief Ministerial race.
Mohan Yadav, 58, representing the Ujjain Dakshin constituency in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, will succeed Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the former chief minister who served four terms. Prior to his current role, Yadav held the position of the higher education minister in Madhya Pradesh.
The BJP secured a significant victory in the recent assembly elections, winning 163 out of the 230 seats, while the Congress lagged behind with only 66 seats. The election outcome solidified the BJP's continued hold on power in Madhya Pradesh.
Yadav comes from the OBC class. Madhya Pradesh has 48 per cent OBC voters. Notably, since 2003, all three BJP chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh—Uma Bharti, Babulal Gaur, and Chouhan—have hailed from the Other Backward Classes.
The MLAs took eight days to finalise their Chief Minister after the announcement of the assembly poll results. Dr. Mohan Yadav will have two Deputy Chief Ministers, Rajendra Shukla from Rewa and Jagdish Devda from Malhargarh.
In the recently concluded 2023 state assembly elections, Dr. Yadav secured victory with a significant margin, winning by more than 13,000 votes.
Early Life
Mohan Yadav, born in Ujjain in 1965, began his political journey during his college days at Madhav Science College. After completing his education with an MA and PhD, he got involved in student politics, holding roles like Vice-Secretary and later President of the Madhav Science College Student Union in 1982 and 1984.
In 2013, he became an MLA from Ujjain and, on July 2, 2020, took on the role of Cabinet Minister for Higher Education in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government.
Mohan Yadav is known for his controversial statements.
In December 2022, he compared the life of Hindu Goddess Sita to that of a divorcee, stating, "Sita mata had so much respect for her husband that she forgot the hardships and prayed for Lord Rama's life. In today's era, this life is like life after divorce".
Along with comparing the life of Sita with that of a divorcee, he has described her return to earth as suicide in today's time.
His use of inappropriate language during the 2020 by-election campaign resulted in a one-day ban on his electoral campaigning imposed by the Election Commission.
The notice stated, "The Election Commission hereby, reprimands you for violating the provisions of... General Conduct of Model Code of Conduct and use of intemperate language transgressing the limits of decency and expects that you, being an responsible political leader, shall not repeat such indecent utterances during election time".
