India: Mohan Yadav expands MP cabinet, 28 MLAs take oath as ministers in ceremony

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav led the swearing-in ceremony of 28 MLAs who took oath as ministers in the newly expanded state cabinet on Monday (Dec 25). The oath-taking ceremony, held at Lal Parade Ground in the state capital, marked the first-ever expansion of Chief Minister Yadav's government.

Among the prominent leaders sworn in were BJP stalwarts Kailash Vijayvargiya and Prahlad Singh Patel, who assumed roles as state ministers.

The oath, administered by MP Governor Mangubhai Patel, saw 18 leaders taking oath as cabinet ministers, six as Ministers of State (Independent Charge), and four as Ministers of State, media reports said.

The expansion comes after the recent elections in Madhya Pradesh, where 230 assembly seats were contested on November 17, leading to a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 163 seats, while the Congress trailed behind with 66 seats.

The individuals who took oath as cabinet ministers also included -Rakesh Singh, Rao Uday Pratap Singh, Karan Singh Verma, Nagar Singh Chauhan, Samapatiya Uike, Eidal Singh Kansana, Pradyuman Singh Tomar, Inder Singh Parmar, Nirmala Bhuria, Tulsi Silawat, Vijay Shah, Vishwas Sarang, Govind Singh Rajput, Narayan Singh Kushwaha, Rakesh Shukla and Chetan Kashyap.Radha Singh, Pratima Bagri, Dilip Ahirwar and Narendra Shivaji Patel took oath as minister of states.

Meanwhile, Krishna Gaur, Dharmendra Lodhi, Dilip Jaiswal, Gautam Tetwal, Lakhan Patel and Narayan Panwar took oath as minister of state (independent charge).

Mohan Yadav, a surprise pick for the Chief Minister post, replaced the four-time CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the recent state elections.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Yadav had met Governor Mangubhai C Patel at Raj Bhawan in Bhopal and announced the oath-taking schedule.

He said that, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National Chief JP Nadda, state BJP chief VD Sharma, and other senior party leaders, the new cabinet would work for the "betterment of the state".

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Expressing optimism, former CM Chouhan hoped that the state cabinet members would contribute to the continued development of Madhya Pradesh. "I have faith that the government that will be formed today is going to work for the development of the state under the leadership of PM Modi and CM Mohan Yadav," he stated.

The strategic expansion of the cabinet is reportedly aimed at addressing anti-incumbency factors given the 2024 general elections and attracting the substantial OBC community.

(With inputs from agencies)