Madhya Pradesh govt expansion: Vijayvargiya, Prahlad among 25 new ministers

See the full list of ministers in Madhya Pradesh cabinet here.

CM Yadav is also an OBC. Three are Scindia supporters – Tulsi Silavat, Govind Singh Rajput and Pradyuman Singh Tomar. Incidentally, in the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan Cabinet, there were 10 Scindia loyalists. There are five women ministers. Madhya Pradesh can have a 35-member ministry, meaning there are seven more slots that could be filled later.

Of the seven MPs fielded by the BJP in the Assembly polls, Faggan Singh Kulaste and MP Ganesh Singh had lost. Of the five who won, four have been included as ministers, with only Reeti Pathak not making it. Of the 33 ministers in the Chouhan Cabinet, 31 had contested the Assembly polls, and 19 won. The nine who have been repeated include CM Mohan Yadav and Deputy CMs Rajendra Shukla and Jagadish Devda.

मंत्रिपरिषद के सभी साथियों को मंत्री पद की शपथ ग्रहण करने पर हार्दिक बधाई एवं शुभकामनाएं।

आज स्वर्णिम मध्यप्रदेश के सपने के साथ पूरा प्रदेश सामूहिकता की शक्ति से आगे बढ़ रहा है। आप सभी के सहयोग, परिश्रम तथा प्रयास से विकास तथा जनकल्याण की इस ध्येयशील यात्रा को हम नए आयाम देंगे;… pic.twitter.com/Xw1LrX3GB9

— Dr Mohan Yadav (@DrMohanYadav51) December 25, 2023

Gwalior-Chambal and Bundelkhand regions each have four ministers, while three are from Vindhya region. The OBC thrust in the new ministry underlines the BJP strategy of buffering its base against the Opposition’s demand for a caste census. It will dent the Congress assault against the BJP over sidelining of its former CM Chouhan, still the party’s tallest OBC leader in the state.

After the oath-taking ceremony for the new ministers, CM Yadav said, “…Those who work must be given an opportunity. I feel happy that under Modi, the new Cabinet will make new records.”