New Delhi:

Rekha Gupta took oath Thursday afternoon as Chief Minister of Delhi – the fourth woman and fourth Bharatiya Janata Party leader to hold that post. Her nomination late last night followed 12 days of suspense and speculation over whom the BJP might pick to follow Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi.

The answer, when it came, was unexpected.

Ms Gupta, the ex-President of the Delhi University Students’ Union and a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh in northwest Delhi, was not the name the BJP was expected to put forward.

She was on the shortlist, yes. Sources did tell NDTV Ms Gupta and all three of the party’s women MLAs were being considered, but all of the talk was about Parvesh Verma, the ‘giant-slayer’.

No-Go For Parvesh Verma

After all, Mr Verma is a two-time Delhi Lok Sabha MP and is the son of former BJP Chief Minister Saheb Singh Verma. He also defeated Arvind Kejriwal for the New Delhi seat, and two of the last three Delhi Chief Ministers – Mr Kejriwal and the Congress’ Sheila Dikshit – won that constituency.

And there were other names seen as ahead of Ms Gupta, including Satish Upadhyay, the party’s Brahmin face, and Vijender Gupta, who was earlier the Leader of the Opposition.

READ | BJP’s Delhi ‘Wapsi‘ Complete, Focus Now On Chief Minister Question

By contrast, Ms Gupta – though one of Delhi’s longest-serving councillors – was a low-key figure.

And it was a surprise, even to her. Ms Gupta told NDTV that when she left her home Wednesday evening, to attend a MLAs meet, she had no idea she would return as Chief Minister.

READ | “Knew When Parvesh Verma…”: Rekha Gupta On Chief Minister News

But the BJP’s pick shouldn’t be a surprise because the party has sprung a few of them in the past few years, most notably in 2023, when it picked three unfancied individuals as chief ministers.

BJP’s 2024 ‘Gameplan’

There were nine full Assembly elections in 2023. The BJP (and/or its allies) won five – Tripura, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

Of these, NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio, an ally of the BJP, remained Chief Minister in Nagaland and the party held on to Manik Saha in Tripura. For the other three, two of which (Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh) were flipped from the Congress, the BJP sprang a hat-trick of surprises.

And this is the point – big names were ignored then – Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan, Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh – as they were this week, in Delhi.

Instead, Bhajan Lal Sharma was installed in Rajasthan, Vishnu Deo Sai in Chhattisgarh, and Mohan Yadav in Madhya Pradesh. Sources told NDTV this was a calibrated effort by the BJP to balance caste-class demands ahead of the Lok Sabha election, which came six months later.

NDTV Explains | BJP’s 2024 Gameplan Behind Hattrick Of Heartland Surprises

For example, in Chhattisgarh, a state where tribal communities form 32 per cent of the population, the BJP opted for a tribal leader. Madhya Pradesh got a Chief Minister from the Yadav community and Brahmin and Dalit deputies. And Rajasthan got a Brahmin leader and Rajput and Dalit deputies.

Vishnu Deo Sai (R) and Mohan Yadav, the BJP’s surprise picks for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh (File).

Before and after 2023, i.e., in 2022 and 2024 the BJP opted to retain Chief Ministers, including keeping Nayab Saini in Haryana and restoring Devendra Fadnavis in Maharashtra.

BJP’s Delhi Move

The BJP selecting Rekha Gupta, sources told NDTV, reflects the same balancing act.

The party wanted a Vaishya face as its leader because its first three Chief Ministers – Madan Lal Khurana, Saheb Singh, and Sushma Swaraj – represented the Punjabi, Jat, and Brahmin communities. To that end, Vijender Gupta was an option, but Rekha Gupta ticked a box he couldn’t – gender.

READ | Rekha Gupta Sworn In As Delhi Chief Minister With PM On Stage

Ms Gupta meant the BJP could point to a Vaishya and a woman as its leader.

Over To Bihar?

Ms Gupta’s selection could also be an indication of how things might play out in Bihar, where elections are due this year. At present, Nitish Kumar is Chief Minister even if his JDU is a minority partner. Sources have confirmed the BJP will fight with him as the chief ministerial candidate.

However, should the saffron party come back to power and keep, or even extend its lead over Nitish Kumar, a change is possible.

In that case, the question of who could succeed him arises, and it could be the BJP looks to spring a surprise here too, ignoring senior leaders like ex-Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad and ex-Union Ministers Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and Ravi Shankar Prasad in favour of another left-field choice.

Who that might be (assuming, of course, that Nitish Kumar does not remain) will be revealed then.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh:

In a significant move that could pave the way for a complete ban on alcohol in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has hinted at the possibility of a state-wide liquor ban, similar to Bihar.

“In the first step to bring about an end to drinking in the state, liquor vends in holy towns will be shut down. These shops will not be shifted elsewhere,” the chief minister told reporters today.

The statement came after the cabinet meeting held in Maheshwar on Friday, where a new excise policy was approved, announcing liquor prohibition in 19 religious cities and rural areas of the state.

The government has declared that all liquor shops and bars within the urban limits of Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Orchha, Maheshwar, Mandleshwar, Maihar, Chitrakoot, Datia, Panna, Mandla, Multai, Mandsaur, and Amarkantak will be permanently closed. Additionally, bans have been extended to gram panchayats in Salkanpur, Kundalpur, Bandakpur, Barmankalan, Barmankhurd, and Linga.

Starting April 1, a total of 47 liquor shops in these regions will be shut down entirely, with no provisions for relocation.

The decision’s significance is amplified by its venue – Maheshwar – a city steeped in historical and spiritual glory. It was here, as per scriptures, that King Sahastra Arjun was believed to have defeated Ravana and was killed by Parshuram. It is also the site where Adi Guru Shankaracharya engaged in a debate with philosopher Mandana Mishra. Once the capital of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, the great queen and architect of the cultural renaissance, Maheshwar provided a fitting backdrop for this historic announcement.

The step aligns with the state’s vision to preserve its spiritual and cultural ethos by declaring these 19 urban and rural areas as “sacred cities.”

Liquor prohibition has long been a subject of debate in Madhya Pradesh. From the tenure of Digvijay Singh to Uma Bharti and Shivraj Singh Chauhan, various leaders have championed the cause, albeit with limited implementation. Former Chief Minister Uma Bharti, a vocal advocate of liquor prohibition, welcomed the decision enthusiastically.

“The announcement to ban liquor in religious cities by the Mohan Yadav government is an unprecedented and commendable decision. This is another step toward complete prohibition, which was envisioned during our tenure,” said Uma Bharti, reflecting on her efforts, which included protests and even acts of resistance against liquor shops during the Shivraj Singh Chauhan government.

While the decision has been widely appreciated for its cultural and moral implications, it does come with an economic cost. The government anticipates a revenue loss of up to Rs 450 crore due to the prohibition. However, the administration is determined to prioritise the cultural and spiritual sentiments of the people over financial considerations.

This move is being seen as a precursor to complete prohibition across Madhya Pradesh. With Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s indications of a broader ban and the cabinet’s historic decision in Maheshwar, the state seems poised to embark on a transformative journey.

A shocking 4,928 cases involving rape of minors are currently pending in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, including its principal seat in Jabalpur and the Indore and Gwalior benches. These include 64 heinous cases where the victim was murdered after the rape.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav revealed these figures in the state assembly last month in response to a question posed by Congress MLA Bala Bachchan. 

The data underscores the gravity of the situation, with about half of the total accused in such cases-2,593 out of 5,243-currently out on bail, while 2,650 remain in jail.

In Jabalpur Principal Seat, 3,013 cases are pending, including 64 cases of murder after rape. In six cases, trial courts have awarded the death penalty. 

In Indore Bench, 1,284 cases are pending, 14 of them involving murder after rape. The trial court has sentenced the accused to death in 2 cases. 

Gwalior Bench: 631 cases pending, including 14 of rape-murder. In three cases, the trial court has issued the death sentence.

Despite trial courts sentencing 11 individuals to death in cases of rape of minors, no executions have taken place so far.

Congress MLA Bala Bachchan sought detailed information on the number of cases of rape of minors pending in the Jabalpur High Court and its benches in Indore and Gwalior. 

The question also requested separate data on cases involving murder after rape and details of any actions taken for speedy trials.

In his 132-page response, Chief Minister Yadav provided a comprehensive breakdown of the cases but confirmed that neither the state government nor the Chief Minister’s office had issued any order or instruction in the last year to expedite these cases.

He also added that 50 per cent of the accused in cases of rape of minors are out on bail. 

According to forest officials, the fencing around the kodo millet farm was broken by elephants before they entered it to eat the plants on the intervening night of October 28 and 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: A.M.FARUQUI

Veterinarian Dr. Nitin Gupta, Wildlife Health Officer at Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR), has been transferred, three weeks after 10 elephants died after eating fungal-infected kodo millet crops in the forest, as per a Forest Department order issued on November 19.

The 10 elephants had died in BTR between October 29 an 31, prompting investigations by multiple agencies. Earlier, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had suspended the then Field Director of BTR Gaurav Choudhary for not returning from his leave and an assistant conservator of forest for negligence in the incident. 

Dr. Gupta was the lone veterinarian posted at the Tiger Reserve and had returned from Jabalpur to treat the elephants after he got the news on October 29. 

He has now been moved to Maharaja Martand Singh Judeo white tiger safari and zoo in Satna district’’s Mukundapur, while Dr. Rajesh Tomar, posted as the Wildlife Health Officer there, has been moved to Bandhavgarh. 

Speaking to The Hindu earlier, Dr. Gupta had said that he was travelling to Jabalpur for his wife’s medical appointment and immediately returned to deal with the situation. 

Before he arrived at the scene, the BTR management had called in various local vets and vets from nearby national parks. 

Many officials at BTR also said that Dr. Gupta had led the charge and supervised the treatment process for two days. 

BTR’s new Field Director Anupam Sahay also said that it was necessary to provide the Health Officer with a team, including an assistant vet, a cameraperson and a computer operator to maintain records. 

Dr. Gupta had also highlighted that that the Tiger Reserve also lacked a permanent facility to treat the rescued animals and that he mostly operated by travelling to the location where they were found. 

Jabalpur: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav during the inauguration of Regional Industry Conclave, in Jabalpur, on July 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on July 20 said that the State had received investment proposals worth ₹17,000 crore at his government’s investor summit in Jabalpur, which was likely to generate over 13,000 employment opportunities. 

A modern skill development centre to attract investment in the textiles and readymade clothing sectors would be established in Jabalpur, Mr. Yadav said. 

The Regional Industry Conclave at Jabalpur also saw Ashok Leyland Limited and Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited signing a ₹600 crore Memorandum of Understanding in the defence manufacturing sector. Mr. Yadav said that while cannons were already manufactured in the State, Army tanks would also be made in Madhya Pradesh now. 

Mr. Yadav also inaugurated 29 industrial units, and laid the foundation stone for 38 industrial units across the State with an investment of ₹1,500 crore, which is expected to create about 4,500 employment opportunities, according to a government statement. 

Other significant investment proposals include ₹1,500 crore from Volvo Eicher commercial vehicles in the automobile sector in Bhopal, and a cement unit in Damoh with an investment of ₹1,500 crore by by Heidelberg Cement. 

The government also issued land allotment letters to 265 units for 340 acres of land, which is expected to featch investments to the tune of ₹1,800 crore, and an estimated 12,000 jobs.

Earlier in January, a similar summit was organised in Ujjain, which saw the Adani Group announce investments of ₹75,000 crore in the State. 

The Madhya Pradesh government will also host similar summits in Rewa, Sagar and Gwalior cities in the coming months, and a larger global investors’ summit in Bhopal in February 2025.

Speaking at the summit, Mr. Yadav also said that India had surpassed Britain, which had ruled over it for 250 years, within 70-75 years of Independence. 

“It feels so nice to hear that we have become the world’s fifth largest economy in just 70-75 years after surpassing those who looted us for 250 years,” Mr. Yadav said.

Bhopal:

Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA Ramniwas Rawat – a Congress leader and a recent addition to the ruling party – was inducted into Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s cabinet this morning. However, what should have been a routine procedure was marked by an unusual, even chaotic, sequence of events.

Mr Rawat was scheduled to be sworn in – at 9 am by Governor Mangubhai C Patel at Raj Bhavan, with the Chief Minister and other dignitaries looking on – as a Cabinet Minister. By 9.03 am he was administered the oath – but that of a Minister of State, a junior post.

Fifteen minutes later Mr Rawat was administered a second oath – as a Cabinet Minister.

The double oath-taking ceremony has led to questions about procedural lapses.

The oath ceremony faux pas underlined the odd nature of Mr Rawat’s induction. He is now the first person to serve as a minister in a BJP government while still being a Congress MLA.

How? Because Mr Rawat has not yet resigned from the Congress, for whom he was also Working President of the party’s state unit and the MLA from the Vijaypur Assembly constituency.

He has, nonetheless, become a member of the BJP and a minister.

Mr Rawat is also in the unprecedented position of being both a MoS and Cabinet Minister.

This happened because he did not formally resign from the former (after being administered the incorrect oath) before taking oath for the latter.

Mr Rawat spoke to NDTV after the chaotic sequence of events and expressed gratitude towards the BJP for making him a minister. He also hit out at his not-yet-former employer.

“Congress has no right to accuse me… there is no resentment (from my side) but what they did not give me, this government respected me…” he declared. Reflecting on his unusual oath, “I missed the word ‘ka’ by mistake. I took oath twice… I am the first minister to take oath twice in half an hour.”

The Congress – which has filed a petition with Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar – to disqualify Mr Rawat and Nirmala Sapre, another now ex-leader to join the BJP – has been quick to react.

Congress spokesperson Avaneesh Bundela has questioned the BJP’s claim of good governance.

“In the government of Dr Mohan Yadav, which claims to be about good governance, today there was such negligence… a mistake like this has probably never been seen before in the country.”

“Now there is confusion,” he said claiming the error had been triggered either by “negligence” from the Governor’s office or “pressure from higher political figures”, referring to former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and ex-Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Mr Rawat, a six-time MLA from Sheopur district, joined the BJP in April, He was previously the junior Home Minister in the Congress government led by Digvijaya Singh.

The induction today means the state government has 19 Cabinet Ministers

Mr Rawat’s jump to the BJP will trigger a by-election for his seat.

Bhopal:

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has announced stringent measures to combat of paper leaks in the state – a proposed law that involves a 10-year jail term and Rs 1 crore fine and categorises it as a non-bailable offence.

At the recent NDTV MPCG MSME Conclave in Bhopal, Dr. Yadav said, “Very soon, a proposal will come that there will be 10 years imprisonment and strict action”.

The proposed law is more stringent that the Central anti-paper leak law, which has provisions for three to five years of imprisonment for those guilty of cheating. Those organizing the cheating – solver gangs and others — will face five to 10 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 1 crore.

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 was passed by the Rajya Sabha on February 9 and Lok Sabha passed it on February 6.

The decision to bring the new law was taken by the state cabinet amid the huge uproar over paper leaks and other irregularities in the medical entrance examination NEET and a few others.

Congress’s Rahul Gandhi has called the BJP-ruled states the “epicentre of paper leaks,” citing Vyapam — a massive scam that erupted in Madhya Pradesh 15 years ago, involving irregularities in the entrance exams for government jobs.

From there, it has spread to all BJP-ruled states, Mr Gandhi had said, in a reference to the paper leak in the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable exam.

About the Congress uproar in the House over the nursing scam, exposed first by NDTV, Dr. Yadav maintained that the government is open to discussions and legal processes.

“There are many subjects on which there are some legal problems. We are always ready to hold any discussion under the rules and laws,” he said. “The Opposition should come up with good preparations and present their issue before the public. If there is a mistake, we will accept it. But forcing us without any mistake is not right; everyone has to stay within their dignity.”

On a different note, he said the ministers of the state, including himself, will now pay their own income tax. The decision has been echoed by the Leader of the Opposition.

Reacting to an NDTV report about the Madhya Pradesh government paying the income tax of its ministers, Dr. Yadav said, “I am satisfied that now our minister’s will pay their own income tax. We are not royals. We are elected people. We come from the middle of society and understand the value of tax collection”.

Bhopal:

A third key leader of the Congress from Madhya Pradesh has made a beeline for the BJP, with a thousand supporters on a day Rahul Gandhi is campaigning in the state. Former Congress minister and six-time MLA Ramniwas Rawat joined the BJP at a huge rally  Sheopur today in presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state party chief VD Sharma, and former home minister Narottam Mishra.

At the time, Rahul Gandhi was addressing a gathering in neighbouring Bhind district.

Mr Rawat, 64, is the sitting MLA from Vijaypur and one of the prominent Congress leaders in the Gwalior-Chambal region. The Vijaypur Assembly segment falls under the Morena Lok Sabha constituency, the home district of BJP veteran and Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar.

Mr Rawat is the second sitting Congress MLA to join the BJP since the elections have been announced. On March 29, Kamlesh Shah, MLA from the Amarwada assembly segment in Chhindwara, considered close to former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, joined the BJP.

Since March, there has been an exodus of Congress leaders to the BJP camp. A handful of leaders quit the party in March.

Ten days ago, former MLA Hari Vallabh Shukla crossed over in Bhopal along with his supporters and other leaders.

Yesterday, Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination from the Indore constituency ahead of the elections in Indore, due on May 13. Within hours, he joined the BJP. The Congress had fielded Mr Bam against sitting BJP MP Shankar Lalwani.

The defections come as the BJP — which swept the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as well as last year’s assembly elections — is hoping for a repeat performance.

Madhya Pradesh has 29 Lok Sabha seats, of which 28 were won by the BJP in 2019. The exception was Chhindwara, traditionally a Congress bastion.

Now, with former Chief Minister Kamal Nath fielding his son Nakul Nath from the constituency instead of contesting himself, confidence is high in the BJP camp.   

Mohan Yadav’s predecessor Shivraj Singh Chouhan has told NDTV that the BJP will win all seats, including Chhindwara and Raigarh, from where senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh is contesting.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is focused on his priorities. So much so, that his three children do not stay with him in the official Chief Minister’s bungalow as he says the focus on family might come in the way of his responsibilities and may “dilute it”.

Mr Yadav, 49, a first-time Chief Minister, is father to a daughter and two sons.  

“My child is studying in Bhopal. He has completed his MBBS course and is now doing his MS. Now you tell me, if he is in this environment won’t he be disturbed. So if he has to study properly, he should focus on that,” the Chief Minister told NDTV’s Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia in an exclusive interview.

“Earlier, my daughter was doing her MBBS course here in Bhopal.  Even then I told her that you have to study in a hostel. The children are also okay with this. I have the satisfaction that there is a positive approach towards this in my family,” he underlined.

Asked if he is not being too tough on the family, Mr Yadav said, “We will have to toughen up. When we will understand, the message will percolate down. Our responsibilities might be diluted if we focus only on family. So we have got to save ourselves from that sentiment. The more one grows, the more one should be careful.” 

Bhopal:

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav remained non-ciommittal about reports of Congress veteran Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath joining the party. Asked about the natter in an exclusive interview, he told NDTV, “I have considered only  kamal (Loyus, the BJP symbol) but not Kamal Nath. We have many kamals in our party and by God’s grace we manage to bloom in the mud”.

Asked what would the party do if they wished to join, he sidestepped, saying he was only concerned with the present.

There was a massive buzz earlier this year that Kamal Nath and his son were joining the BJP. Both denied and Nakul Nath was later named the Congress candidate from Chhindwara. He will face-off against the BJP’s Vivek Sahu.

Mr Nath, a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, was removed from the top post of the party after the Congress failed to win the assembly elections amid reports of considerable anti-incumbency against the BJP.

Ahead of the election a number of aides of Mr Nath, including former minister and four-time Congress MLA from Chhindwara Dipak Saxena, Chhindwara Mayor Vikram Ahake, Amarwara MLA Kamlesh Pratap Shah, have joined the BJP.  

Mr Yadav, who took charge of the state after the BJP’s huge victory in last year’s assembly election, said the Congress  robs its people of morale.

Discussing the trend of Congress leaders and workers crossing over to the BJP ahead of the general elections, he said the Congress “has broken the morale of many people. The BJP stands by what it says”.

As examples he cited the scrapping of the Article 370 of the constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir its special status, the scrapping of Triple Talaq and the building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya – all of which were long-term promises of the BJP.

“People come to the BJP because they feel inspired by our work,” he said. The Congress is a dynastic party, its leadership is “useless” but now the country is “looking at them differently”, he added.