BJP’s Madhya Pradesh surprise: Mohan Yadav beats many bigwigs

News Network

December 11, 2023

New Delhi, Dec 11: Mohan Yadav has been chosen as the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, more than two weeks after the ruling BJP routed rivals Congress to retain control of the heartland state. Mr Yadav, the Higher Education Minister in the outgoing government, was elected from the Ujjain Dakshin seat.

"I am a small party worker... I thank the party for this opportunity," Mr Yadav said.

The BJP, in a bid to contain ambitions and soothe ruffled feathers ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, also named two deputy chief ministers - Jagdish Deora and Rajesh Shukla. Mr Deora was elected from Malhagarh by nearly 60,000 votes and Mr Shukla from Rewa by around 21,000 votes.

The appointments end suspense over the identity of two of three chief ministers for the states the BJP won on December 3. Vishnu Deo Sai was named Chhattisgarh Chief Minister on Sunday.

Now, of the five states that voted in November, only Rajasthan is without a Chief Minister; the Congress, which won Telangana, has installed Revanth Reddy in the top post and, in Mizoram, the fledgling Zoram People's Movement claimed an impressive win and Lalduhoma is Chief Minister.

A three-time MLA from the Ujjain district, the appointment of Mohan Yadav, 58, has been widely seen as the end of the political road (at least in the state) for his predecessor, Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Mr Chouhan is a four-time Chief Minister and arguably the BJP's tallest leader in the state, but seemed to side-lined by his party in the run-up to the November 17 election. The party opted for a campaign based on "collective leadership" built around Prime Minister Narendra Modi's face.

The strategy reaped dividends; the BJP won 163 of 230 seats and the Congress, which actually won the 2018 election but saw its government fall two years later, was left with just 66, down from 114.

The BJP's win defied several exit polls' predictions of a tight race with the Congress.

Ex-Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, one of three former cabinet members to contest last month's election, has been made Assembly Speaker. There was speculation Mr Tomar, who led the ministry during protests against farm laws, could succeed Mr Chouhan to the top post.

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‘This is how it began in Gujarat’: Modi outlines BJP’s political ambitions in Kerala

News Network

January 23,2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, January 23, indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to expand its political footprint in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in the coming months.

Speaking at a BJP-organised public meeting, Modi drew parallels between the party’s early electoral gains in Gujarat and its recent victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation. The civic body win, which ended decades of Left control, was cited by the Prime Minister as a possible starting point for the party’s broader ambitions in the state.

Recalling BJP’s political trajectory in Gujarat, Modi said the party was largely insignificant before 1987 and received little media attention. He pointed out that the BJP’s first major breakthrough came with its victory in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation that year.

“Just as our journey in Gujarat began with one city, Kerala’s journey has also started with a single city,” Modi said, suggesting that the party’s municipal-level success could translate into wider electoral acceptance.

The Prime Minister alleged that successive governments led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) had failed to adequately develop Thiruvananthapuram. He accused both fronts of corruption and neglect, claiming that basic infrastructure and facilities were denied to the capital city for decades.

According to Modi, the BJP’s control of the civic body represents a shift driven by public dissatisfaction with the existing political alternatives. He asserted that the BJP administration in Thiruvananthapuram had begun working towards development, though no specific details or timelines were outlined.

Addressing the gathering at Putharikandam Maidan, Modi said the BJP intended to project Thiruvananthapuram as a “model city,” reiterating his party’s commitment to governance-led change.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Kerala also included the inauguration of several development projects and the flagging off of new train services, as the BJP intensifies its political outreach in the poll-bound state.

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