Bhopal: BJP’s Mohan Yadav took oath as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (MP)in Bhopal this morning. The swearing-in event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda and the CMs of BJP-ruled States among others.

The State also has two Dy. CMs — Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda. They also took oath along with Mohan Yadav. The ceremony took place at the Lal Parade Ground in Bhopal. Before going for the oath ceremony, Yadav visited a temple in Bhopal.

He also went to the State BJP office to pay respects to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, one of the Founding-Members of the Jana Sangh and BJP’s founding ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

A large number of BJP workers, especially from Yadav’s hometown Ujjain, were also present for the ceremony. The three-time BJP MLA, as prominent OBC leader with close ties to RSS, has ascended to the position of Chief Minister in Madhya Pradesh at the age of 58.

Breaking the long-standing dominance of four-time CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Yadav’s unexpected appointment is seen as a strategic move by the BJP to appeal to the influential Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, which constitutes over 48 percent of the State’s population.

Yadav, born on March 25, 1965, in Ujjain, commenced his political journey as a student leader and steadily climbed the political ladder. Known for his vocal Hindutva stance, he has been associated with the RSS since his youth. A seasoned politician, Yadav served as the Higher Education Minister in the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan Government, making headlines by introducing the Hindu epic ‘Ramcharitmanas’ as an optional subject in colleges. His political career began in 1982 as the Joint Secretary of Madhav Science College in Ujjain, where he later became the President in 1984.

Yadav’s elevation as Chief Minister marks the end of an era dominated by Shivraj Singh Chouhan and underscores the BJP’s efforts to diversify its leadership. His unexpected rise is seen as an attempt to consolidate support from the OBC community ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.