‘Should we shut down for him?’: Mohan Yadav’s family on MP investigation

Madhya Pradesh government officials, speaking anonymously, pushed back against findings of the Indian Express investigation into CM Mohan Yadav's family land purchases in Ujjain — arguing the extended family's real estate business predates his political rise and should not be linked to his office.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav at a ground-breaking ceremony in Indore (ANI)

4 min readBhopal, New DelhiJun 23, 2026 05:10 PM IST First published on: Jun 23, 2026 at 06:03 AM IST

Neither Chief Minister Mohan Yadav nor his office commented on a detailed questionnaire sent by The Indian Express on its findings. However, state government officials, on the condition that they not be named, said it was “not correct” to link purchases by the CM’s family and his presence in the government.

“The CM’s extended family has been in the real estate business for a while,” said an official. “To link their businesses with the CM’s rise in politics will not be proper.”

He added that it was also “not correct” to go beyond the Chief Minister’s immediate family in talking about his assets: “When you talk about his family, it should include only his wife, son and daughter-in-law… and there you may not find anything major.”

Express Investigation Part 1 | Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s family bought 168 acres where his government built roads

According to another senior official, the land transactions were not always purchases of plots, and there were cases of some of them being sold subsequently. “All plots purchased are not held forever. These are also sold as part of the business,” the official said.

Responding on behalf of Mohan Yadav’s cousins Govind and Nilesh, Govind Yadav’s son Anant Yadav said: “Our family is in realty business since 2010 when my father developed a 100-bigha property. My uncle has many housing projects. As private individuals, we have every right to buy, develop or sell any private land. Should we shut down just because the CM is from our family?”

Express Investigation Part 3 | Buy, build, profit: How Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s cousins flipped Ujjain

On the project in Ujjain’s Gangedi, he said: “My father is not the sole owner. He has six-seven business partners. Though registered in 2023, the land purchase deals date back to 2020 when he (Mohan Yadav) was not even a minister. The highway work was cleared back in 2019. The land is 100m from the highway.”

Key Takeaways

CM Stays Silent

CM Yadav and his office did not respond to the detailed questionnaire sent by The Indian Express.
State officials spoke only on condition of anonymity, defending the family’s land transactions.

Narrow Family Defined

Officials argued scrutiny should cover only the CM’s wife, son, and daughter-in-law — not extended relatives.
They said “nothing major” would be found if the inquiry were limited to just the immediate family.

Express Investigation Part 4 | Plot’s who’s who: Wife, son, daughter-in-law, sister, brothers, sister-in-law, nephew, first cousins

Realty Predates Power

One official said the CM’s extended family has been in real estate “for a while” before his political ascent.
Linking their business activity to the CM’s role in government was described as “not correct.”

Express Investigation Part 5 | Ujjain primed for urban renewal with a flurry of road and other projects

Sales Cited as Defence

Officials noted that not all plots purchased were retained — some were sold subsequently as part of business.
They framed the transactions as routine commercial activity, not politically motivated acquisitions.

Cousins Push Back

Govind Yadav’s son Anant said the family has been in realty since 2010, well before Yadav’s ministerial rise.
On Gangedi, he said land deals dated to 2020 and the highway clearance came in 2019 — before Yadav was CM.