By L S Herdenia
BHOPAL: By naming Mohan Yadav as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sprang a second surprise in the context of Vidhan Sabha elections. The first surprise was when he asked three Union Ministers and four MPs to resign and contest Vidhan Sabha elections. The Union Ministers were Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Patel and Faggan Singh Kulsate and MPs were Rakesh Singh, Ganesh Singh, Riti Pathak and Uday Pratap Singh, besides Kailash Vijayvargiya who is non-MP.
After that speculation was rife that one of them will succeed Shiv Raj Singh Chouhan. Shiv Raj Singh Chouhan himself was hopeful that he may be asked to continue as the Chief Minister. But nobody, perhaps Mohan Yadav himself even in his dream, speculated that the destiny of Madhya Pradesh will be handed over to him.
Thrice MLA from Ujjain South constituency and former ABVP leader Mohan Yadav, 58, turned out to be a surprise choice as the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on Monday evening.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan submitted his resignation to Governor Mangubhai Patel in the evening.
Yadav’s name was proposed by Chouhan and unanimously supported by the 162 other MLAs, sources said. An emotional Yadav said , “The responsibility you have given to a small worker like me, I don’t even deserve it. But with your love and blessings, I will try to fulfill the responsibilities”.
Minutes before the BJP legislative party meeting a photo session was held with all 163 MLAs. In the front row were the central observers, Chouhan, Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel, Kailash Vijayvargiya and V D Sharma. Mohan Yadav was seated in the third row. Fifteen minutes later, he was announced the next CM.
Yadav could not believe his ears and could barely find words for a few minutes, said a legislator present there.
Outside the BJP office, supporters of all CM-hopefuls were shouting slogans all day. Chouhan’s supporters shouted, ‘Mama Mama” while Prahlad Singh Patel’s supporters shouted “Dada, Dada” and Kailash Vijayvargiya’s supporters yelled, “Bhaiyya, Bhaiyya”. At 4.35 pm when news came that Mohan Yadav was the next CM, there was a stunned silence for the next few minutes.
Yadav, who was the higher education minister in the last Shivraj cabinet, worked with the RSS from an early age and won his first assembly election in 2013. He succeeds Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was MP for five terms and then held the chief minister’s post for four terms. Yadav has around three and a half year’s experience as a cabinet minister.
Keeping in mind the 52% OBC population in the state, the BJP continues with its tradition of appointing OBC chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh. Yadav will be the fourth in the line – starting with Uma Bharti in December 2003, Babulal Gaur in August 2004 and Shivraj Singh Chouhan in November 2005.
The choice of Yadav as CM in the heart of the country can help BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s legacy as the go-getter who transformed MP from a BIMARU state to one with a GDP of Rs. 13,22,000 crore will endure.
After 16.5 years and four terms in the top post, Chouhan was not just MPs but also BJP’s longest serving chief minister.
The question now is, what will the party do with Chouhan? Very few leaders in the BJP can claim to have his kind of experience. Most ministers in the Narendra Modi cabinet do not have five terms as MP. After his resignation Chouhan, 64 is only an MLA from Budhni constituency. The chief minister for 16.5 years cannot become a cabinet minister in a government headed by Mohan Yadav who was his minister in the last term.
Modi’s choice on the face may appear surprising but it is a calculated decision which will benefit the party in the Lok Sabha elections. Yadavs constitute a major vote bank in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Modi must be knowing that Congress has alienated Yadavs when Kamal Nath while referring to Akhilesh Yadav nearly insulated him when he said “I don’t know who is this Akhilesh-Baklesh”.
It is not for the first time that a Ujjain based politician has been picked for the post of Chief Minister. Indira Gandhi did it in 1972. Just on the eve of elections she wanted to remove Chief Minister S. C. Shukla. After asking Shukla to resign she chose Ujjain based leader P. C. Sethi to succeed him. It was January 21, 1972 that Sethi took over as the Chief Minister. This is for the second time that in a surprise move a Ujjaini has been made Chief Minister.
Besides naming Chief Minister Modi has nominated Jagdish Devda and Rajendra Shukla as Deputy Chief Ministers. This is for the first time that a BJP ministry will have two Deputy Chief Ministers. Narendra Singh Tomar will be the speaker of the assembly.
Jagdish Devda, 66, has been elected to the assembly for the 9th time from Malhargarh. He is the best known leader from the SC community in the state and has held key portfolios like finance, home, transport and Jail.
The other deputy CM Rajendra Shukla has been elected from Rewa for the 5th term. As Devda is the best known Dalit face of the party in MP, Shukla is the best known Brahmin face. He comes from Rewa where Brahmins constitute a sizeable population. The fact that he won 3 of those 5 elections against the BSP candidate shows that it has often been Brahmin vs OBC-Dalit battle. In the previous two elections he defeated Brahmin candidate of Congress. .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making all selections of chief ministers taking into account their potential to get seats for BJP in Lok Sabha elections. New Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh chief ministers have the potential to help BJP beyond their respective states. (IPA Service)
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