Shivraj Singh Chouhan returns as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: Former CM Shivraj Singh will become the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh a fourth time after the elected Congress government there fell 15 months into its tenure due to a rebellion in its camp.

Chouhan was picked by the BJP legislative party which met Monday evening in Bhopal ahead of former state minister Narottam Mishra - who played a key role in dislodging the previous Kamal Nath government - and other central favourites like union miniser Narendra Singh Tomar.

He will be sworn in shortly at 9 pm by governor Lalji Tandon as the BJP wants the new chief minister to take charge asap to escalate state measures for checking the spread of coronavirus outbreak. No other ministers are likely to be sworn in with him.


Chouhan's immediate task, after dealing with the covid-19 threat, would be to ensure that his party stays in power by winning enough seats in the imminent byelections to 25 vacant assembly seats.

No leader fron Delhi travelled to Bhopal for the legislative party meeting, though central observers Arun Singh and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe participated through video conferencing.

Popularly known among his followers as 'mamaji', Chouhan was sworn in chief minister of Madhya Pradesh thrice earlier - in 2005, after Uma Bharti stepped down over a riots case, and later two full terms in 2008 and 2013. He stepped down after the Congress won a narrow majority in the assembly elections in December 2018.

The Congress government led by Kamal Nath resigned last Friday after a rebellion in the party led by senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia led to the exit of 22 MLAs leaving the party well short of the halfway mark.

The 22 rebel MLAS are set to follow Scindia into the BJP and more than half a dozen of them are likely to get berths in the new BJP ministry that will come to power.