Mohan Yadav

Dr. Mohan Yadav (born 25 March 1965) is an Indian politician and businessman serving as the 19th and Current Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh since 2023. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he represents Ujjain South constituency as Member of Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh since 2013.

Early life and education
On 25 March 1965, Mohan Yadav was born in Ujjain. He is married to Seema Yadav, and together they have three children- one daughter and two sons.

Dr. Yadav graduated from Vikram University with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree. He further pursued his academic interests and completed LLB, Master of Arts (MA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) degrees from the same university.

Political career
He was a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. In 2013, he entered electoral politics and ran for the Ujjain South constituency. He won by beating Congress candidate Jaysingh Darbar in the Ujjain South constituency of the 2013 Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election by 9,652 votes. Yadav got 73,108 votes, whereas, Darbar received 63,456.

He was re-elected in the 2018 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections, taking the seat of MLA for Ujjain South. He won by 18,960 votes over Congress candidate Rajendra Vashishtha Raju Bhaiya.

In 2020, he was sworn in as a cabinet member of the Madhya Pradesh government under the former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He was MP's Minister of Education till 2023.

In the 2023 Madhya Pradesh State Assembly Elections, he ran from the Ujjain South constituency and won.

Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
On 11 December 2023, BJP announced that Mohan Yadav will serve as the 19th Chief Minister of Madya Pradesh along with Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda as deputy. The announcement came after the BJP Legislative member's meeting. Following the BJP's victory in the elections on 3 December, the BJP held the legislative party meet with the Central observers to select chief minister for the state. In a surprising turn of events, the party named Mohan Yadav as the face of the new Chief Minister.

On 13 December, Yadav took oath as the 19th Chief Minister of the state in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, outgoing chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and several other dignitaries.

After taking charge Chief Minister Mohan Yadav banned the use of loudspeakers beyond permissible limits and time at all religious and public places as per the guidelines of the Supreme court. Yadav said the efforts to remove loudspeakers shall be carried out in co-ordination with religious leaders.

One of the first decisions taken by Yadav's cabinet is to enact a complete ban on the open sale of non-vegetarian food like meat, fish & eggs within the state as per the Food Safety Act and the guidelines of the Central government.

After the inauguration of Yadav's government, homes of three men who allegedly attacked a BJP worker were razed by bulldozers on 15 December 2023, emulating the example of Hindu hardliner politician Yogi Adityanath, which is often criticised as a form of Collective punishment.

Bajrang Bali welcome controversy
A stir of controversy unfolded as a person dressed as Hanuman, a revered deity in Hinduism, welcomed the newly appointed Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mohan Yadav, at an event in Ujjain. The incident, caught on video, depicted the individual mimicking flight to present Yadav with a garland while hanging from a crane. The spectacle unfolded amidst a large crowd gathered for the Chief Minister's entry ceremony, raising questions about the appropriateness of the act.

The Congress party swiftly condemned the incident, with its spokesperson expressing strong disapproval, questioning the necessity of hanging a depiction of Bajrang Bali on a crane to welcome the Chief Minister, characterizing the act as crossing all limits. The theatrical nature of the welcome stirred debate, prompting reflection on the appropriateness of religious symbolism in political events.

Prime Meridian Controversy
In a surprising turn of events, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav stirred controversy with his claim that India played a pivotal role in establishing global time standards around 300 years ago. Asserting that Ujjain still houses an ancient timekeeping instrument, Yadav boldly announced his government's ambition to shift the Prime Meridian from Greenwich, England, to Ujjain, challenging the established international reference for time.

Awards & recognition

 * He was awarded by the President of India in 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 for promoting tourism in the state. Yadav's rise began with the ABVP. In 1982, he became the co-secretary of the student union of Madhav Science College, and became the president in 1984.

Ujjain Simhastha Land Acquisition
Under the Ujjain Master Plan 2035, 872 acres of land were reserved for Ujjain Simhastha - 2028 (Kumbh Mela). According to Ravi Rai (councillor from the INC party), 450 complaints were received against the master plan by the V&CP, 250 of which were by people who claimed to be living on that land for many years. Those complaints were rejected. However 185 acres of that land was removed from the land acquisition plan, 29 acres of which was registered in the name of Mohan Yadav (erstwhile Minister of Higher Education of Madhya Pradesh), his wife Seema Yadav, his sisters Leela Yadav and Kalawati Yadav who is chairperson of Ujjain Municipal Corporation and his servants. The land use categorisation of this released land was also changed from agricultural use to residential use, so that private colonies can be constructed on the land. Mohan Yadav owned 8 parts of this land. Allegedly the Ujjain master plan was stuck for 2.5 years to take care of Mohan Yadav's interests.

After the construction of a bypass during the last Simhastha fair, builders and BJP politicians started taking interest in the land and started acquiring it from farmers. Land use categorisation was changed from agricultural use to residential use for the lands belonging to BJP affiliated builders and BJP politicians, for example in the case of Vibhash Upadhyay (Vice President of Madhya Pradesh Jan Abhiyan Parishad and cabinet minister) and his wife Kavita Upadhyay. It is estimated that Simhastha-2028 would see 10 to 13 crore attendees for which more land was needed but despite that, interests of some builders, Mohan Yadav and other BJP politicians were prioritised.