Investigation shows Yadav family’s land in Ujjain doubled twice — from 82 acres to 167 acres (2021-23) and then to 335 acres (2024-25) after Mohan Yadav became Chief Minister.
Party leaders including Amit Malviya and state president Hemant Khandelwal dismiss allegations as politically motivated, but remain silent on key findings of post-CM acquisitions near new government projects.
Opposition demands probe into alleged conflict of interest, citing purchases near highways and master plan zones announced by the Yadav government.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday came out in strong defence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav amid allegations of benami land purchases and sharp increase in family land holdings, even as the party remained largely silent on the core findings of an investigation by The Indian Express.
The Congress has intensified its attack on the Chief Minister following the report which revealed that the Yadav family’s land holdings in Ujjain nearly doubled between 2021 and 2023 when Mohan Yadav was a minister, and doubled again between 2024 and 2025 after he assumed the Chief Minister’s post — taking the total from 82 acres to 335 acres.
Amit Malviya, national convener of the BJP’s IT cell, dismissed the allegations as “baseless and bereft of substance,” claiming that the land holdings of the Chief Minister and his immediate family have not increased since he took office. However, official records cited in the investigation appear to contradict this assertion.
According to the report, a company in which Mohan Yadav and his wife Seema hold a 73% stake purchased at least 2.6 acres for ₹1.43 crore after he became Chief Minister. Another significant acquisition involved 30 acres bought by his son Vaibhav Yadav and a firm just weeks before the Ujjain Master Plan 2035 was made public in May 2023.
Of the 168 acres purchased after Yadav became CM, around 111 acres are located near new road links and highways announced by his government, and 33 acres fall in zones opened for residential or commercial development under the new master plan.
State BJP president Hemant Khandelwal and other ministers also termed the Congress campaign “politically motivated.” Khandelwal claimed that Mohan Yadav had declared all his land holdings in the 2023 Assembly election affidavit and that there has been no increase since. He added that relatives conduct their businesses independently.
The Indian Express report, however, highlighted a clear pattern of rapid expansion in family land assets during Yadav’s rise in power. The Congress has demanded a high-level probe into the matter, alleging conflict of interest and possible misuse of official position.
The Chief Minister’s office is yet to respond to detailed queries sent by the newspaper. As the political slugfest intensifies in Madhya Pradesh, the controversy is likely to dominate public discourse in the coming days.
