Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, born on March 5, 1959, is a prominent Indian politician currently serving as the 32nd Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and the 23rd Minister of Rural Development since 2024. He is recognized as the longest-serving Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, having held the position from 2005 to 2018 and again from 2020 to 2023. His political journey includes being a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Budhni from 2006 to 2024, and earlier from 1990 to 1991.

Chouhan's political career is marked by his tenure as the Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Party from 2019 to 2020, along with significant roles in the party's Parliamentary Board and Central Election Committee. He was the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha from 2000 to 2002 and represented the Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency in the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 2005, later being re-elected to the 18th Lok Sabha from the same constituency.

His political roots trace back to his involvement with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which he joined at the young age of thirteen in 1972. Chouhan is well-known for implementing various welfare schemes aimed at improving the lives of the underprivileged, including initiatives like rice at one rupee per kilogram for the poor, the Sambal scheme for maternity assistance, free education for underprivileged girls, subsidized electricity, the Ladli Laxmi Yojana, and the Beti Bachao Abhiyan. These initiatives have played a crucial role in the BJP's electoral successes in the state elections of two thousand eight, two thousand thirteen, and two thousand twenty-three.