4 min readBhopalUpdated: Dec 14, 2023 10:57 AM IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with new Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav during the latter's swearing-in ceremony, in Bhopal on Wednesday. (Photo: PTI)
Mohan Yadav, the former higher education minister and three time Ujjain MLA, was sworn in as Madhya Pradesh’s 19th Chief Minister on Wednesday, marking the end of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan era in the state.
Yadav was administered oath by Governor Mangubhai C. Patel in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda along with other senior leaders, including Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Jyotiraditya Scindia and UP CM Yogi Adityanath, at Bhopal’s Lal Parade Ground.
Besides Yadav, his deputies Jagdish Devda and Rajendra Shukla took oath during the ceremony. However, no other minister was sworn in as the party is expected to take a call on it after consulting senior leaders.
After the ceremony was over, Yadav headed to Ujjain’s Mahakal Lok temple and rushed back to Bhopal to preside over his first Cabinet meeting.
Hours after assuming charge, Yadav issued an order to ban loudspeakers/DJs at religious gatherings and public places at a volume exceeding the prescribed limits.
The government has said that loudspeakers/DJ, etc. can be used only as per the prescribed norms at any type of religious place or in public places. The state government has also decided to form flying squads in all the districts to check noise pollution and illegal use of loudspeakers. These squads will regularly and randomly inspect religious and public places where loudspeakers are used, and in case of violation of rules, they will investigate the matter within a maximum of three days and submit the report to the administration. Furthermore, the government will make efforts to remove loudspeakers on the basis of communication and coordination with religious leaders, and a list will be made of such religious places where the above rules/instructions are not being followed and it will be reviewed weekly at the district level.
The CM said “after the food safety rules, operation of meat and egg shops will be” subject to enforcement of guidelines to ensure public awareness and educate shop owners about the rules to ensure their safety.
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The government has said that it has “decided to ban illegal buying and selling of meat, fish etc. in the open without licence” and an “intensive campaign will be launched”.
During his interaction with the media later in the evening, Yadav also spoke about the good fortune that “we will witness” the Ram Mandir consecration and said that there was a time when “kar sevaks were subjected to atrocities at the UP border during the Ram Mandir andolan”.
“The government will welcome all the Ram devotees in every district, who are enroute to the Ram mandir,” Yadav said.
The government has also discussed guidelines regarding the cancellation of the bail granted by the courts for serious crimes and habitual criminals in previous crimes as per the provisions of Section 437, 438, 439 of CrPC and asked the Superintendent of Police and District Prosecution Officer to review every month the action taken against repeat those who after grant of bail commit a crime.
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Yadav also announced that in every district, the government will establish a PM excellence college where “all kinds of courses” as per the New Education Policy (NEP) will be taught.
The government will also start the initiative of Digi locker for digitisation of mark sheets for students in government and private colleges across the state.
The government has also hiked the price of tendu leaf bag to Rs 3,000 which was a poll promises aimed at the tribal communities.
The party had fought on the collection be leadership platform and some of these senior leaders were CM hopefuls before the party spring a surprise and fielded Yadav. The posters and banners of the venue signalled the ushering of the new era.
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More