BJP defends Mohan Yadav amid land purchase allegations
What's the story
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come out in defense of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who is facing allegations of land purchases by his family and real estate companies. The party dismissed the allegations as "baseless and bereft of substance" and "politically motivated." However, they have not addressed key findings from an investigation conducted by The Indian Express.
Land acquisition
Land holdings doubled during ministerial tenure
The investigation found that the Yadav family's land holdings doubled between 2021 and 2023, when Mohan was a minister, and again between 2024 and 2025 after he became chief minister. The total land holdings increased from 82 acres before 2020 to 167 acres during his tenure as a minister and further to 335 acres under his chief ministership.
Strategic acquisitions
Land bought near new road links, highways
The investigation also revealed that 111 of the 168 acres bought after Yadav became chief minister were located near new road links and highways announced by his government. This raises questions about possible insider knowledge influencing these real estate transactions. Notably, CM's son Vaibhav Yadav and Mangalmurti Infra bought 30 acres in Sawarakhedi weeks before the Ujjain Master Plan 2035 was made public in May 2023.
Political response
Allegations politically motivated, says Malviya
BJP's IT cell national convener Amit Malviya and state president Hemant Khandelwal have dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Malviya claimed that "the land holdings of the Chief Minister and his immediate family have not increased since he assumed office as Chief Minister." Khandelwal said Yadav and his wife's land holdings haven't changed since the 2023 Assembly elections. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh PWD Minister Rakesh Singh welcomed an investigation into these allegations.
Land expansion
Daughter-in-law also bought plots in '25
The investigation also revealed that CM Yadav's daughter-in-law, Shalini, bought 12 plots of 10.35 acres in Gangedi for ₹1.03 crore in June-July 2025. Shri Siddhivinayak Devcons Pvt Ltd, where Mohan and his wife Seema own stakes, also purchased plots in Ujjain's Sawarakhedi and Kasba Ujjain between December 2024 and March 2025. The company sold land to Mohan Yadav's cousin, Nilesh, for a housing project under the Sawariya brand.