Bhopal, Dec 11 (IANS): Mohan Yadav, the newly-appointed Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP’s central leadership for elevating him to the top post in the state, here on Monday.

“Only the BJP can elevate an ordinary party worker to CM's chair," said Yadav (58), who replaced four-time Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

A three-time MLA from the Ujjain South Assembly constituency, Yadav served as Higher Education Minister in Chouhan’s outgoing Cabinet.

During BJP's legislative party meeting to pick the next Chief Minister at the BJP headquarters here on Monday afternoon, supporters of the CM probables gathered in large numbers, raising slogans and beating drums.

However, the three observers sent by the BJP’s central leadership came up with a surprise choice, Mohan Yadav, who was not even in the probables list. A lot of people were taken by surprise after Yadav’s name was announced as the next Chief Minister of state, including mediapersons.

A businessman-turned-politician, Yadav began his political stint with the BJP in 2013 and has been elected as an MLA thrice since then. After completing his Masters in political science from Vikram University, Ujjain, in 2006, he did his PhD from the same university in 2009.