BJP picks Ujjain South MLA Mohan Yadav as new Madhya Pradesh CM

The Bharatiya Janata Party effected a leadership change in Madhya Pradesh, passing the chief ministerial baton to Mohan Yadav, the education minister in the outgoing Shivraj Singh Chouhan state government. The transition marks the end of the tenure of Chouhan, the state's chief minister for most of the past 20 years, barring a 15-month period.

The decision was taken after BJP observers met with the newly elected party MLAs in the state.

The state will have two deputy chief ministers Jagdish Devda and Rajendra Shukla. Madhya Pradesh's new speaker will be Narendra Singh Tomar. Mohan Yadav, a three-time MLA from Ujjain South, was a minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet. The 58-year-old's political career began with his first election as an MLA in 2013. He was re-elected in the subsequent 2018 state assembly election. He was the former higher education minister of the state.

After being elected the chief minister-designate,  Yadav said, “I am a grassroots worker of the party. I thank all of you, the state leadership and the central leadership. With your love and support, I will try to fulfil my responsibilities."