New Delhi: Son of a tea-seller who struggled to provide for his five children, Mohan Yadav, the next chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, has come a long way. The Ujjain Dakshin MLA will replace Shivraj Chouhan on whose government he had done his Ph.D in 2008. According to Gopal Sharma, his guide, Yadav’s thesis was on ‘Madhya Pradesh ki BJP ke Sarkar ke Prati, Pradesh ke media karmiyo ke drishtriton kaa anusheelan. (The attitude of media towards the BJP government in MP).’
In fact, Chouhan proposed the three-time MLA’s name as the leader of the BJP Legislature Party Monday evening. Yadav, 58, has served as the higher education minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Cabinet since 2020.
The Madhya Pradesh chief minister will be assisted by two deputy chief ministers, Jagdish Devda and Rajendra Shukla
Yadav’s brush with politics began in 1984 when he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyathi Parishad (ABVP), the students’ wing of the RSS. Thereon, he successfully contested in the 2013 assembly election from Ujjain Dakshin constituency and won the third consecutive term this year.
Yadav held the responsibility of chairman of MP State Tourism Development Authority from 2011 to 2013, and prior to that he was the chairman of Ujjain Development Authority from 2004 to 2010.
While serving as the chairman of Ujjain Development Authority, Yadav completed his MA from a private institute and subsequently completed PhD under Gopal Sharma in Ujjain. Yadav did not stop his educational pursuit despite political commitments and work, according to Sharma.
Once active in the wrestling circles of Ujjain, Yadav was associated with the state wrestling association. He is also well-versed in stick-fighting and swordmanship, said people who know him for years.
“His political career started with the ABVP and from there on he was given various responsibilities. He has been active since 1984 and has been working for the party. Yadav took his place in the BJYM (Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha) state committee in 1997,” said a party functionary in Madhya Pradesh.
Another party functionary said that while the candidature has surprised many watchers, Yadav is a tall OBC leader of the state. “Many names were doing the rounds including that of Prahlad Patel, Narendra Singh Tomar, V.D. Sharma among others but the party was clear that it wanted to go for a fresh face,” the functionary explained.
In 2020, the Election Commission had barred Yadav from campaigning in the byelections for a day over poll code violation for ‘transgressing the limits of decency’. “The Election Commission hereby reprimands you for violating model code of conduct and for use of intemperate language, transgressing the limits of decency and expects that you, being a responsible political leader, shall not repeat such indecent utterances during election time,” the poll panel said in its order.
Dr. Akansha Yadav, the daughter of the new chief minister, told The Print that their family started off as small farmers. “My grandfather Poonam Chandra Yadav was a small farmer and had a small shop in Malipura area selling tea and bhajiya (fritters). Through sheer hard work, he got all of his children educated,” Akansha told ThePrint.
Yadav’s eldest sister Kalawati is a senior corporator and presently serving as the speaker in Ujjain Municipal Corporation. Yadav is the youngest of the five siblings.
“We were not aware and were sitting at home when suddenly we got a call congratulating us and that is when we learnt that my father has become the chief minister. It is only in a party like BJP that a small worker who is dedicated to his work, can rise up to a level and lead the state,” Akansha said.
She went on to explain how her father stressed on getting her and two sons educated to prepare them for a better future.
“He ensured all his children got a good education — whether it was me becoming a doctor, or my brother becoming a lawyer. My father has a broad thinking and ensures that everyone’s view is taken before reaching any decision,” Akansha said.
The other brother is also pursuing a career in medicine, she added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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