THE name might have sprung up at the last moment, but the selection of Dr. Mohan Yadav as the leader of the Madhya Pradesh BJP Legislature Party and thereby the Chief Minister of the State does not come as a surprise. For, the choice is perfectly in tune with the party’s policy and philosophy to offer leadership opportunities to new persons so as to infuse new energy into the organisation and the Government. Dr. Mohan Yadav, thus, comes in as the next Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh after a twenty-year rule by the very senior and very efficient Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan in line with the BJP’s method and manner. The State will also have two Deputy Chief Ministers in outgoing Finance Minister Mr. Jagdish Devda and outgoing Public Relations Minister Mr. Rajendra Kumar Shukla, a move that received widespread welcome in the political circles. It was a given that Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan would not get a repeat term, which was why he had started talking of devoting his energies to the Lok Sabha elections due in the next few months. There were other names, too, but the BJP’s central leadership opted for Dr. Mohan Yadav leaning on several counts that the party would benefit from in the long run.

 

Yet, the choice of a so-called relatively lesser discussed name as Chief minister does not actually come as a surprise. Those who understood Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s style of thinking knew well that Madhya Pradesh will have a Chief Minister well-steeped in the BJP’s ideology and ideals without fussing about those. It would certainly not be easy for Dr. Mohan Yadav to fit into the shoes of Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan who enjoyed a larger-than-life image in the State and national politics. He is being regarded as a politician who defied successfully the so-called anti-incumbency tendency of the electorate as many as four times, the small gap with which he lost the previous election notwithstanding. But his return to power in just a short time was rightly predicted. For Dr. Mohan Yadav, to match Mr. Chouhan’s ability and popularity would be a task needing much effort, therefore. Yet, those who have seen Dr. Yadav’s efficient working first as a grass-root-level worker and then a three-term Member of Parliament from Ujjain and a State Minister, feel confident that he will lead Madhya Pradesh as efficiently as Mr. Chouhan did. The most important task of the new Chief Minister would be to continue with a steadfast resolve the welfare regime set in motion by the predecessor over two decades.

 

The people of Madhya Pradesh have seen being governed by a set of good leaders for the past so many years. They will, therefore, look to the new team with similar or raised expectations, Dr. Mohan Yadav’s first task will be to ensure that those expectations are respected and fulfilled. Though Madhya Pradesh has a rapidly growing economy, its rating on the national scale of industrialisation is yet to reach a critical level. On that count, much work will have to be done -- so that the State raises its stock to a higher level and achieves higher economic goals through better investment and increased employment potential. On healthcare quotient, too, the State has to work harder so as to be among the national leaders. Those who have known Dr. Mohan Yadav feel that he is conscious of these challenges and geared up to handle those. The immediate political goal will naturally be the performance at the Lok Sabha elections. In other words, Dr. Mohan Yadav will have to lead the charge personally from the front. And the best way to achieve that goal would be to increase the welfare quotient of the State and win the electorate over in increasing proportions.