Shivraj Singh Chouhan (born 5 March 1959) is an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party who is the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and of Rural Development. He was Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for more than sixteen years over four terms between 2005 and 2023, the longest in the state’s history. Popularly called “Mama” (maternal uncle), he built his following on welfare schemes for girls and women.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Shivraj Singh Chouhan |
| Born | 5 March 1959, Jait, Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Age | 67 |
| Party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Offices | Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (2005–2018, 2020–2023); Union Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (2024–present) |
| Constituency | Vidisha (Lok Sabha) |
| Education | Barkatullah University, Bhopal (M.A. Philosophy, gold medal) |
| Spouse | Sadhna Singh (m. 1992) |
| Children | 2 (Kartikey and Kunal) |
Early Life
Chouhan was born into a farming family of the Kirar community in Jait, a village on the Narmada. As a boy he led farm labourers in his village in a demand for higher wages. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1972, was president of his school students’ union in Bhopal and was jailed in 1976–77 for opposing the Emergency. He rose through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the BJP’s youth wing.
Political Career
He was elected to the state assembly from Budhni in 1990 and to the Lok Sabha from Vidisha in a 1991 by-election, after Atal Bihari Vajpayee vacated the seat. He won Vidisha five times in a row.
He became Chief Minister on 29 November 2005 and led the BJP to victory in 2008 and 2013. His government launched the Ladli Laxmi scheme, which invests money for girls from birth, and gave free bicycles and scholarships to students. Farm output grew strongly, helped by irrigation, and the state repeatedly won the national Krishi Karman award. His tenure was shadowed by the Vyapam scandal over rigged entrance examinations and by the police firing on farmers at Mandsaur in 2017. The BJP narrowly lost the 2018 election, but he returned in March 2020 when Jyotiraditya Scindia and his supporters left the Congress. His Ladli Behna scheme, which pays a monthly sum to women, was credited with the BJP’s large win in 2023, after which the party chose Mohan Yadav as Chief Minister.
He won Vidisha in 2024 by more than eight lakh votes and joined Narendra Modi‘s cabinet.
Personal Life
Chouhan married Sadhna Singh in 1992, and they have two sons. He is known for his folksy speeches and for undertaking a long pilgrimage along the Narmada in 2016–17.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Shivraj Singh Chouhan born?
Shivraj Singh Chouhan was born on 5 March 1959 in Jait, Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh, India and is 67 years old.
Featured image: Shivraj Singh Chouhan (right), then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, meets Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, New Delhi, 21 November 2016. Photo by Ministry of Home Affairs, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
