Jagdish Devda

He is trained to be a lawyer and holds an MA and law degree from Vikram University, Ujjain. Incidentally, it was here that CM-designate Yadav forayed into politics as a student leader.

Like Mohan Yadav, Devda too began his political career as a student leader and was president of the student union at the Government College, Rampura and a member of the senate at Vikram University. According to BJP leaders, he quickly rose up the party ranks due to his strong organisational skills.

In 1979, Devda joined the BJP’s youth wing – the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) – and served as the mandal president, district general secretary, and district president in Mandsaur district. He was also the district convenor and state president of the SC cell of the BJYM.

The deputy CM-designate is a six-time MLA and was first elected to the Assembly in 1990. Following his re-election for the third time in 2003, he was elevated as minister of state and held the home, school education, and energy portfolios. After his 2008 victory, he was made minister and given key portfolios like finance, planning, transport, jails, and economics and statistics.

He has also served as the Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly from March 24, 2020 to July 2, 2020.

As finance minister, Devda presented the state’s first paperless budget with a focus on women’s welfare with an outlay of Rs 8,000 crore for the “game changing” Ladli Behna Yojana.

Devda is also known to be a keen sportsperson and was an athletics champion in his youth.