Jagdish Devda is a six-time MLA and was first elected to the state Assembly in 1990.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced Mohan Yadav, the MLA from Ujjain South, as the next Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, while Jagdish Devda and Rajendra Shukla will serve as the new Deputy Chief Ministers of the central Indian state. The swearing-in ceremony took place at 11.30 am at the Lal Parade Ground in Bhopal today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states attended the ceremony.
Mr Devda belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category. He contested the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections from the Malhargarh seat and won by 59,024 votes. On the other hand, Mr Shukla is a five-time MLA from the Rewa Assembly seat and has emerged as a strong Brahmin face of the party in the Vindhya Pradesh region.
Here are five key facts about Jagdish Devda:
1. Born in Rampura village of Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch district, Jagdish Devda is a six-time MLA and was first elected to the state Assembly in 1990.
2. He held the office of Ministry Of Finance in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government in the state.
3. Trained to be a lawyer, the 66-year-old began his political career with the BJP Yuva Morcha BJP's youth wing – Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) – in 1979. He held several posts, including mandal president, district general secretary, and district president in the Mandsaur district.
4. Mr Devda even served as the student union president at the Government College, Rampura. Known for his organisational skills, Mr Devda has held several ranks in the BJP.
5. In 2003, he also held the home, school education, and energy portfolios as the minister of state. Mr Devda was the Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly for a short period from March 24 to July 2 in 2020.