Rawat, a six-time MLA from Vijaypur in Sheopur, switched from the Congress to the BJP on April 30, marking a significant political gain for the BJP.

In a mix-up during the swearing-in ceremony, Rawat was initially sworn in as a Minister of State (MoS). Within 15 minutes, he took the oath again, this time as a Cabinet minister.

With Rawat’s entry, the Yadav ministry has gained another OBC representative. The Cabinet now consists of 11 OBC ministers, 11 from upper castes, six from SCs, and four from STs.

Welcoming Rawat into his ministry, CM Yadav highlighted Rawat’s long public service, particularly as a representative of Sheopur. “As a minister, his experience will benefit the entire Cabinet and all residents of the state,” Yadav said.

The trigger for Rawat’s departure from the Congress was the party’s decision to field Satyapal Singh Sikravar, a former MLA from Neetu, as its candidate for the Morena Lok Sabha seat. Rawat’s exit further weakens the Congress in the Gwalior-Chambal region, where he had considerable influence.

Rawat first became an MLA from Vijaypur in 1990 and retained the seat in 1993. After losing it in 1998 to the BJP, he won it back in 2003 and kept it in 2008 and 2013. Although the BJP won the seat in 2018, Rawat regained it in 2023 as a Congress candidate, despite the party’s poor performance in most of the state, except for the Gwalior-Chambal region.

This Cabinet expansion is the first since the BJP’s victory in the Assembly elections in December 2023. While Yadav took the oath as CM on December 11, Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda were sworn in as Deputy CMs on December 13.