Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Expansion: Congress-turned-BJP MLA Ramniwas Rawat Takes Oath As Minister

Rawat was administered oath by Governor Mangu Bhai Patel as the cabinet minister in the Mohan Yadav led Madhya Pradesh government. Rawat, a six-time MLA quit Congress and joined the BJP in on 30 April 2024.

Bhopal: The second cabinet expansion of the Mohan Yadav led BJP government in Madhya Pradesh was effected on Monday as Governor Mangu Bhai Patel administered oath to Congress-turned-BJP MLA Ram Niwas Rawat.

BJP State President V D Sharma visited Rawat at his Bhopal residence and congratulated him on taking oath. “Welcomed the newly appointed Cabinet Minister in the Madhya Pradesh Government, Mr Ramniwas Rawat on visit to his Bhopal residence and congratulated him once again for his new responsibility,” Sharma said in a post on X.

Life And Politics: Rawat is a sixth-time MLA from Vijaypur seat of Sheopur district. Born on 21 January 1960 in Sunwai in Vijaypur to Ganesh Prasad Rawat and Bhanti Bai, Rawat obtained a Bachelor's degree in Science and later did his postgraduate degree with a gold medal in history and LLB. Rawat is married to Uma Rawat, with whom he has two sons and two daughters.

Rawat, who became an MLA for the sixth time, started his political career in 1986 through the Indian Youth Congress. He was elected MLA from Vijaypur for the first time in 1990 and then in 1993. Rawat was inducted as a cabinet minister for the first time in the Digvijay Singh cabinet in 1993. Subsequently, he won the election from Vijaypur constituency in 2003, 2008 and 2013. In the 2018 assembly elections, he lost to his nearest rival from Vijaypur constituency by 2890 votes. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he contested against Narendra Singh Tomar and lost from Morena Lok Sabha by 1,13,341 votes. In the 2023 assembly elections, he again won the Vijaypur assembly election and became an MLA. Rawat joined the BJP on 30 April 2024 in the presence of Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav.

Congress Petition Demanding Termination Of Assembly Membership: Congress has filed a petition with Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar to terminate the membership of Rawat and Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre. Tomar will have to take a decision on their membership within three months. Both the MLAs are likely to resign as MLAs necessitating by-elections on the respective seats.