Shivraj Singh Chouhan set for new innings as Union minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia to retain Cabinet berth

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Having been Madhya Pradesh CM from 2005 to December 2023, Chouhan had led the BJP to another resounding victory in the November 2023 Assembly elections. However, springing a surprise, the BJP leadership then replaced him as CM with Ujjain MLA Mohan Yadav.

Months after the change of guard, Chouhan’s political future hung in the balance until the BJP decided to field him in the Lok Sabha elections from Vidisha. It was during a poll rally in Harda on April 24 that PM Modi said Chouhan would be taken to Delhi, signalling that he would now occupy a prominent position in national politics.

Known to be an astute politician, who is able to accommodate politicians from a wide range of groups, Chouhan’s skills as a troubleshooter is likely to be a useful asset as the BJP enters an era of coalition politics.

Pitted against Congress candidate and ex-MP Pratap Bhanu Sharma in the Lok Sabha polls, the former CM won by a huge margin of 8,21,408 votes.

Chouhan’s tenure as CM was particularly known for various welfare schemes for women, such as the Ladli Behna Yojana, a Rs 1,250-monthly stipend for women from poor households.

After being CM continuously from 2005 to 2018, he returned to power in March 2020 after then senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia’s rebellion brought down the Kamal Nath government, which had come to power after the Congress beat the BJP in the 2018 polls.

After his switch to the BJP, Scindia quickly moved up the ranks and is also set to be a Union minister again.

He had entered politics in 2002 and won the Guna Lok Sabha, which fell vacant after the death of his father and Congress stalwart Madhavrao Scindia.

He represented Guna from 2002 to 2019, when he lost the seat to his former loyalist K P Yadav by a margin of 1,25,549 votes.

This set off a series of events which resulted in the royal scion eventually leaving the Congress and defecting to the BJP with 22 MLAs.
Scindia’s crucial responsibility and role in the BJP’s plans were clear from the onset of the campaigning in the state during last year’s Assembly elections, which was the first test under the BJP for the 52-year-old ‘Maharaja of Gwalior’ on his home turf, the Gwalior-Chambal region, comprising 34 seats. He delivered 18 to the BJP, up from seven in 2018.

The result cemented Scindia’s importance in the BJP set-up, where he is seen as someone who enjoys the confidence of PM Modi and Amit Shah.

Many local BJP leaders had also crossed over to the Congress in the run-up to the elections, miffed at the quick rise of Scindia.