Four-time MP CM, Shivraj Singh Chouhan enters Union cabinet for 1st time

Proving wrong his detractors' claim of being sidelined after denial of CM's post for fifth time last year, BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan won Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha Lok Sabha seat for the sixth time by a record margin of 8.21 lakh votes. The former four-time MP chief minister, popularly known as "mama" (maternal uncle) and "paon-paon wale bhaiya" (foot soldier), assiduously worked on his 'soil of the soil' image and identified himself with the socio-economic concerns of farmers, villagers, women and children in the state. During his more than 18-year-tenure as the CM, barring 15 months of Congress rule (in 2018), Chouhan transformed himself from being a shy, simple and vulnerable politician to a wily leader with a mass appeal and unparallel hard work. Having the image of a soft-spoken man coupled with simplicity, the 65-year-old leader led the BJP's campaign in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in the state, presenting himself as one among the people, promising further development and n