Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav: Know About His Political Journey, Education & Other Details

The BJP has picked Mohan Yadav, a three-time MLA from temple town Ujjain as the new chief minister of Madhya Pradesh replacing Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who served for a record four terms in office.

Chouhan reportedly proposed the name of Yadav, the BJP MLA from Ujjain South, for the top post, giving Madhya Pradesh its fourth OBC chief minister in two decades, a development crucial before the Lok Sabha polls.

Yadav, who was not seen as among contenders for the CM post, is considered to be close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and hails from the OBC community, which accounts for more than 48 per cent of the state’s population.

Here is all you need to know about new Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav:

Details

Education

Mohan Yadav has a diverse academic background, having secured a range of degrees: BSc, LLB, MA, MBA and PhD. He holds a doctoral degree from Vikram University in Ujjain and also holds a bachelor’s degree in law.

The politician-businessman started his political career as a student leader in college. Yadav also served as the higher education minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s government.

Political Career

1. 1982: He began his political career as joint secretary of Madhav Science College Ujjain in 1982.
2. 1984: He was later elected as the president of Madhav Science College Ujjain in 1984.
3. 1991: Yadav had been a functionary of the RSS’ students wing ABVP in Ujjain and became its national secretary in 1991.
4. 1993-1995: He has been associated with the RSS since his young days and from 1993 to 1995 and was RSS functionary in Ujjain city, said an office-bearer of the Hindutva organisation.
5. 1998: He was also made a member of the Western Railway Board advisory committee.
6. 2000-3: Yadav was made the member of executive committee of Vikram University, Ujjain.
7. 2011-13: He has also served as chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) from 2011-13.
8. 2013: Mohan Yadav was first elected as an MLA in 2013 from Ujjain South.
9. 2018: He retained the Ujjain South assembly seat in 2018 by defeating Congress’ Chetan Yadav.
10. 2023: In the 2023 assembly election, Yadav won by a margin of 12,941 votes against Congress’s Chetan Premnarayan Yadav and defended his seat in the Ujjain South constituency. The victory marked his third consecutive term as an MLA. He was later made the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Other Facts

• 58-year-old Mohan Yadav is considered to be close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and seen as a vocal Hindutva leader.
• Yadav’s influence in the state’s political landscape was consolidated when he was inducted into the state cabinet on July 2, 2020 in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, when the BJP came back to power following the collapse of the Congress government led by Kamal Nath.
• Yadav had announced in 2021 to include the lessons of Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas’ as an elective (optional) course under the philosophy subject for first-year students of graduation (BA).
• He had also moved a proposal to rename the Hindi nomenclature of the vice-chancellor’s post in state universities from ‘Kulpati’ to ‘Kulguru’.
• Yadav is the first leader to become chief minister from the temple town of Ujjain where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had dedicated the newly-constructed Mahakal Lok corridor last year.