Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Popularly known as 'Mama' in political circles, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the hero of the Bharatiya Janata Party's triumph in Madhya Pradesh.
Known for simplicity, 64-year-old Shivraj Singh Chouhan, won from the Budhni constituency in the Sehore district of the state, by over over 1 lakh votes. The incumbent Chief Minister not only nipped anti-incumbency but ensured that the saffron party retained power in the crucial Hindi state.
According to the Election Commission of India website, BJP is leading in 166 seats of the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly. It was Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who kept his party intact and ensured that his MLAs and Ministers remained loyal to him. He traveled to the nooks and corners of the state and silently campaigned for the BJP candidates.
Shivraj if he once again becomes the Chief Minister, it will be his fifth term in office. A leader who connects to the masses, Shivraj ensured that Madhya Pradesh got rid of its 'BIMARU' tag and took the state on the path of development.
The incumbent Chief Minister has been a volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since 1972. He took part in the underground movement against the Emergency and was detained in Bhopal jail in 1976-77. He started his political journey from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP as the organization secretary of Bhopal in 1977-78, and its organisation secretary in 1978-80.
He later served as the Joint Secretary, General Secretary, and President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Madhya Pradesh from 1984 to 91. Shivraj Singh Chouhan was elected as a member of the 9th Legislative Assembly in 1990 and resigned from membership on November 23, 1991.
He was also elected to the tenth Lok Sabha in 1991. He then served the BJP in various capacities. Shivraj once again was elected to the eleventh Lok Sabha in 1996 and served in various Parliamentary committees. He was also elected to the 12th and the 13th Lok Sabha in 1998 and 1999. In 2004, Shivraj was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha.
He has also served as the BJP National General Secretary and state president of Madhya Pradesh BJP. For the first time, Shivraj, considered close to RSS, was sworn in as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on November 29, 2005.
He was elected member of the 12th Legislative Assembly in the by-election on May 6, 2006, and he resigned from membership of Lok Sabha on May 10, 2006. He remained Chief Minister till December 10, 2008.
He was then elected member of the 13th Legislative Assembly in 2008 and was the Chief Minister from December 12, 2008 to December 9, 2013. He was then elected Legislative Assembly member in the year 2013. He served as Chief Minister from December 14, 2013, to December 12, 2018. In 2018, he was once again elected as an MLA, and after the Kamalnath-led Congress government fell, he took over the reins of the state. Now in all likelihood, he will once again be the favourite to become Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister.
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