'Bringing in Dr Mohan Yadav as the Yadav-OBC face from Ujjain as chief minister, and a scheduled tribe leader Jagdish Devda from Mandsaur district, and a Brahmin face Rajendra Shukla from Rewa, the BJP is making an attempt to put in place a new caste equation in the state keeping an eye on the general elections next year.'
"Making a young Yadav as its CM in MP will send a strong message to all the Yadavs and OBCs in UP, MP, Bihar, and Haryana and help strengthen its standing among the OBCs in these states," Dr Virendra Chawre, a political observer and assistant professor at Vikram University in Ujjain, tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com.
Why would the BJP choose Dr Mohan Yadav as its chief minister instead of four-time CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan? What worked in Mohan Yadav's favour?
The intensity with which the Opposition parties are demanding and playing the caste-based census card in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and various other states, the BJP is well under pressure, and rightly so, to acknowledge this emerging political undercurrent.
The BJP is not only acknowledging it, but is implementing the same at the ground level to further strengthen its social engineering of Hindutva-cum-caste demography.
Appointing a Yadav OBC from Madhya Pradesh has a huge political bearing on states like UP, where the BJP is almost invincible now, and in states like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana -- where the BJP is making efforts to attract OBC votes -- that have a sizeable OBC population.
Having Mohan Yadavji as MP CM is clearly an evidence of how the BJP is walking the balancing-of-power tightrope even while denying the Opposition yet another issue (the caste census) that it is latching on to improve its political performance in states where the BJP is formidable.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been the BJP's powerful leader in MP for two decades. He did play a significant role in entrenching the BJP stranglehold in the state by expanding its political base outside of sections that were traditional BJP voters.
Now, bringing in Dr Mohan Yadav as the Yadav-OBC face from Ujjain as chief minister, and a scheduled tribe leader Jagdish Devda from Mandsaur district, and a Brahmin face Rajendra Shukla from Rewa, the BJP is making an attempt to put in place a new caste equation in the state keeping an eye on the general elections next year.
We will be witnessing a number of power-centres in MP in the coming days as these three begin implementing the BJP manifesto in the state. Making Dr Yadav as CM is definitely a beginning of a new era for the party in the state.
Dr Yadav is close to the RSS and has worked as a student leader in the ABVP, that did work in his favour.
Was this shocking change necessary?
It may not be as shocking as it almost seems like a generational change in the state where Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ruled the roost for almost two decades. It is the BJP's style of infusing new josh among its voters and cadres.
This generational change in the state was inevitable given that Chouhanji had had a very remarkable stint in the state, but the BJP has reached a stage where it has to encourage the second rung leadership and create a new voter base that will help it further execute its Hindutva manifesto.
The BJP, being the party in power, at the Centre and in MP has, obviously, an advantage over the Opposition parties and is not allowing them to set an agenda or a narrative that would work to their advantage.
Whatever the Opposition promises people after it comes to power, the BJP does better, since it is already in power and implements the Opposition manifesto. This natural advantage is helping the BJP usher in new socio-political equations across north India.
The BJP has taken a huge gamble in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. All the three states have now new faces, all first-time chief ministers. This strategy will definitely help it get good traction among a new voter base even as they keep bolstering their existing voter base.
This strategy of implementing a generational change is the BJP's way of stonewalling the Opposition's caste-based census card for decades to come.
Making a young Yadav as its CM in MP will send a strong message to all the Yadavs and OBCs in UP, MP, Bihar, and Haryana and help strengthen its standing among the OBCs in these states.
The OBC population in MP is a sizeable 52 per cent. Dr Yadav will help win the trust of this 52 per cent in the state.
What will be the main challenges before the first-time MP CM?
There will be plenty of them given that at every stage Dr Yadav's actions will be compared to Chouhanji's 20-year legacy as a CM. Dr Yadav's capabilities will be tested especially in the context of continuation of his predecessor's women-centric policies.
But one must not forget that it was Shivraj Singh Chouhan who proposed Dr Yadav's name. That way the two BJP leaders share a close relationship and I do not see Dr Yadav would find it difficult to continue with the former CM's policies.
Given his RSS and ABVP background, he also shares a good rapport with the BJP's central leadership. All this will help Dr Yadav helm the affairs of the state smoothly even if he will have to live under the shadow of Chouhanji for some time to come.
There will always be comparisons and that is what could turn out to be a bit challenging for the latest incumbent in Bhopal.
How significant a role will Ujjain, Dr Yadav's home city, now play in the politics of the state?
Ujjain and Indore are part of the Malwa region and they have always played an important role in the state's politics. Both the Ujjain North and Ujjain South seats have been won by the BJP this time.
The place also has a religious significance as the famous Mahakaleshwar temple (which is one of the twelve jyotirlingas in India that are considered the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva) and also happens to be the place where the Mahakumbh is held once every 12 years.
In that sense, Ujjain is a deeply religious and spiritual city and Dr Yadav has very carefully built his image of a Hindutvawadi as well as a secularist.
Like, with his appointment the BJP has tried to balance the power granted to different demographic sections. He too will have to walk a tightrope balancing the relationship between all sections of society.
