MP mantle goes to Mohan Yadav

New Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s selection by the BJP appears to be a master stroke of social engineering by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to woo OBC, especially Yadav, voters in the Lok Sabha election not just in this state but also in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, say experts.

- RAHUL CHHABRA

The MLA from Ujjain South now is the only Yadav Chief Minister in the country and his unexpected selection by the BJP sends a strong message about the saffron party’s commitment to promote the OBC community – apart from being an attempt to puncture the Opposition parties’ bid to politicise the caste census issue ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

The new Madhya Pradesh CM is the fourth OBC leader that the BJP has selected to the top post in the state, including Uma Bharati, Babu Lal Gaur and Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Over 48% of 5.2 crore voters in Madhya Pradesh are OBCs. In UP, OBC voters account for 54% of the population and in Bihar 63% of the population.

Political analyst Varun Purohit called Yadav’s selection as CM as a “political surgical strike”, saying that, on the face of it, Yadav’s selection appeared to be a consensus decision but it carries a distinct stamp of Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.