Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s family bought 168 acres where his government built roads

THE city of Ujjain is at the centre of a massive urban renewal, driven by a sweeping infrastructure upgrade — from new roads and highways to changes in land use that will allow an unprecedented expansion of residential and commercial spaces.

All this has made Ujjain one of India’s hottest property markets. Among the early investors are Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, his immediate family, siblings and first cousins.

Since he took oath as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on December 13, 2023, Mohan Yadav’s family and their real estate companies have bought at least 137 plots , adding up to 168 acres, for Rs 45 crore, in zones most benefited by this infrastructure push, an investigation of land records by The Indian Express has found. Records also show that at least six of these plots were sold subsequently. This does not include the family’s land transactions in 2026, if any, as official land records are not updated immediately.

According to khatauni (ownership) records, these plots were purchased by Mohan Yadav’s wife Seema, son Vaibhav’s wife Shalini Yadav, brothers Nandlal and Narayan Yadav, Narayan’s wife Rekha, their son Abhay Yadav, and first cousins Govind and Nilesh Yadav — either directly or through one of four real estate companies run by the family.

These purchases highlight two key issues that raise questions of propriety and conflict of interest.

One, most of these plots are either close to new road projects announced in and around Ujjain, or in areas demarcated for change of land use from agriculture to residential or commercial in the Ujjain Master Plan 2035.

While the Ujjain Master Plan 2035 was released in May 2023 months before Yadav became the chief minister, he has been involved in the holy city’s tourism and infrastructure development for decades — as the chairperson of the Ujjain Development Authority during 2004-2010, as head of MP Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) during 2011-13, and as MLA from Ujjain (south) since 2013.

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Since January 2024, soon after Mohan Yadav took charge as chief minister, the state government has announced multiple new road links and highways in these very areas, which, local realtors said, would upgrade their value in future.

Likewise, they say, land use changes opened agricultural areas to residential or commercial development, making these plots lucrative for early investment.

Two, Yadav’s family purchases since December 2023 swelled their land bank that existed even before Yadav became CM. The Yadav family, which also includes Mohan Yadav’s son Vaibhav and sister Kalavati, owned at least 108 plots measuring 179 acres in and around Ujjain, of which at least 85 acres were purchased during 2021-2023 when Yadav was Education minister (see Chart), The Indian Express has found.

But it was after Mohan Yadav was sworn in as CM that the family went on a land-purchase overdrive.

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Since December 13, 2023, when he became the CM, till December-end 2025, his family and their real estate companies have bought at least 137 plots, adding to over 168 acres. Of this, 12 acres were internal transfers within the Yadav family.

While Mohan Yadav did not respond to multiple requests for comment, a senior state government official said it was not appropriate to link the business or land dealings of the Chief Minister’s family with the Chief Minister and his office.

In 2025, even as the Madhya Pradesh government grappled with strong local resistance to its proposal for pooling farmland to build permanent Kumbh infrastructure in Ujjain, Yadav’s family and their companies purchased at least 62 plots spanning 92 acres.

In Ujjain, CM Yadav himself owns at least 17 acres directly, which he declared as inheritance (4 acres) and purchases (13 acres in1998) in his 2023 asset declaration. His wife Seema Yadav owns at least 10.6 acres directly, which were declared as purchases (2008-10) in Mohan Yadav’s 2023 asset declaration.

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Mohan and Seema Yadav owned at least another 39.5 acres through Siddhi Vinayak Devcon Pvt Ltd, a family company where they together hold 73% stake. Of this, 12 acres were sold to first cousin Nilesh Yadav in September 2024. Siddhi Vinayak Devcon purchased at least three plots (2.6 acres) during 2024-2025.

Plots next to new roads

The Indian Express spoke with local officials and mapped the geography of Yadav family’s new acquisitions. The trends are telling:

l Of the 168 acres purchased by the family since Yadav became the CM, 111 acres are next to one of the road development projects (see MapChart) in and around Ujjain announced by Yadav. Roushan Singh, Ujjain District Collector, listed “over half a dozen” highway projects — new construction or lane expansion — to improve connectivity to Garoth, Jhalawar, Nagda, Badnawar, Indore and Bhopal “Another 15-20 internal road widening works are lined up,” he said, without providing specific coordinates of the projects.

A housing project coming up on land in Ujjain’s Gangedi. (Express Photo)

* In Gangedi, strategically located close to the junction of the upgraded Ujjain-Badnagar and Ujjain-Indore highways, the family purchased at least 51 acres in 38 plots in multiple deals since April 2024.

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* In the Karadiya-Nawakheda area, around 9 acres were bought on the other side of this highway crossing in October 2024.

* In Karondiya, around 8 acres were picked up close to the Panchkoshi Parikrama Marg under development between Nagziri and Undasa in July 2025.

* In Jaiwantpura, on the southern side of the Ujjain-Maksi road which is being four-laned, six acres were purchased in 12 plots during 2024-25.

* In Chandesara, strategically located between two Indore-Ujjain highways, around 9 acres were purchased last February.

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* In Unhel, on both sides of the new Ujjain-Nagda highway, at least 29 acres were picked up in 16 plots last May.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav conducts an inspection of an under-construction IT Park, in Indore, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (PTI Photo)

Land use change

Within Ujjain city limits, the Yadav family owns land in almost every zone demarcated for change of land use from agriculture to residential in the Ujjain Master Plan 2035 released in May 2023.

Weeks before the release of the Master Plan, the family purchased at least 30 acres in Sawarakhedi in March-April 2023, records show.

Since Yadav became the CM, his family members purchased at least 37 acres in areas where land use was changed in 2023 (see MapChart). In central Ujjain’s Pandyakhedi, for example, the family bought 18 acres last year in an area newly designated as “commercial” in the Master Plan.

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Most of these areas, such as Nanakheda, Sawarakhedi or Dedhiya, where land use has been changed to allow residential development are adjacent to Ujjain’s highest land value zones as identified in the Master Plan.

Yadav’s political opponents, including former minister and Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma, had accused Yadav of allegedly influencing the Ujjain Municipal Corporation to change Ujjain’s master plan by handpicking for land use change areas where his family already had large holdings.

Following protests, the state government reverted approximately 367 acres of Sawarakhedi to non-residential land use in July 2023. But the policy remained in force in other parts of Ujjain identified in the new Master Plan for land use changes.

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‘Don’t link CM to extended family; they have long been in realty’

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav addresses the inauguration of various development projects and the distribution event of cheques to beneficiaries of various schemes at Tulsi Nagar, in Indore on Friday. (@DrMohanYadav51 X/ANI Photo)

NEITHER CHIEF Minister Mohan Yadav nor his office commented on a detailed questionnaire sent by The Indian Express on its findings. However, state government officials, on the condition that they not be named, said it was “not correct” to link purchases by the CM’s family and his presence in the government.

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“The CM’s extended family has been in the real estate business for a while,” said an official. “To link their businesses with the CM’s rise in politics will not be proper.”

He added that it was also “not correct” to go beyond the Chief Minister’s immediate family in talking about his assets: “When you talk about his family, it should include only his wife, son and daughter-in-law… and there you may not find anything major.”

According to another senior official, the land transactions were not always purchases of plots, and there were cases of some of them being sold subsequently. “All plots purchased are not held forever. These are also sold as part of the business,” the official said.

Responding on behalf of Mohan Yadav’s cousins Govind and Nilesh, Govind Yadav’s son Anant Yadav said: “Our family is in realty business since 2010 when my father developed a 100-bigha property. My uncle has many housing projects. As private individuals, we have every right to buy, develop or sell any private land. Should we shut down just because the CM is from our family?”

On the project in Ujjain’s Gangedi, he said: “My father is not the sole owner. He has six-seven business partners. Though registered in 2023, the land purchase deals date back to 2020 when he (Mohan Yadav) was not even a minister. The highway work was cleared back in 2019. The land is 100m from the highway.”

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Cousins turn land bank into housing projects

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav graces the ground-breaking ceremony at the inauguration of various development projects and the distribution event of cheques to beneficiaries of various schemes at Tulsi Nagar, in Indore on Friday. (@DrMohanYadav51 X/ANI Photo)

While on a land-purchasing spree in and around Ujjain, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s family struck deals with builders to develop some of these parcels. A few clusters are being developed by the family itself.

For instance, between April 2024 and July 2025, Mohan Yadav’s cousin Govind Yadav and his associates purchased 41 acres through 16 land deals in Gangedi, near the junction of the upgraded Ujjain-Badnagar and Ujjain-Indore highways.

Within months, between July 2024 and September 2025, they handed over these plots to Indore-based Shanti Mahalok Builders in five tranches for development.

One set of plots were transferred to the builder under the agreement that Shanti Mahalok would have to develop the project at its own risk and cost in 24 months and hand over 67.8 per cent of the developed property, including dwelling units, to Govind Yadav and partners to sell or utilise independently.

The other parcels were also transferred under similar agreements but with a 60:40 ratio of ownership of the developed project between the land owner and the builder.

Asked about the two deals, Govind Yadav’s son Anant Yadav said: “Our agreement with the builder is based purely on the appreciating value of the land and the fixed cost of development.”

On the ownership of land in Ujjain’s Gangedi, he said: “My father (Govind) is not the sole owner. He has six-seven private business partners. Though registered in 2023, the land purchase agreements date back to 2020 when he (Mohan Yadav) was not even a minister. The highway work in question was cleared back in 2019. The land is not on the highway but 100m away.”

Shanti Mahalok co-owner Mehul Mehta declined to comment.

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inspect the road stretch from Maharajwada to the Mahakaleshwar Temple complex, in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (PTI Photo)

Mohan Yadav’s other cousin Nilesh Yadav, on the other hand, is developing a number of realty projects under the Sawariya brand name. Since October 2024, he has registered four new housing schemes through Shri Annapurna Construction in Ujjain with Madhya Pradesh RERA.

These are:

October 2024: Shri Sawariya Dham in Karadiya on 7.5 acres purchased in July 2023,

December 2024: Sawariya Dreams in Chandesera on 5 acres purchased in October 2023,

September 2025: Sawariya Green in Dhediya on 12.13 acres acquired from Shri Siddhivinayak Devcons in September 2024

November 2025: Shree Sawariya Residency in Nanakheda on 3.7 acres purchased in June 2024.

Responding on behalf of uncle Nilesh, Anant Yadav said: “Our family has been in realty business since 2010 when my father developed a 100-bigha property in Ujjain. My uncle has various Sawariya housing projects. As private individuals, we have every right to buy, develop or sell any private land. Should we shut down just because the CM happens to be from the family?”

Govind, alias Bablu Yadav, and his younger brother Nilesh are sons of Mohan Yadav’s uncle Shankarlal and aunt Annapurna Yadav. Together, the brothers have spearheaded the Yadav family’s land-purchasing drive since late 2023 — around the time Mohan Yadav became chief minister.

Govind has purchased at least 46 acres — either on his own or with his sons Siddharth and Anant, or with business partners Nemichand Jain, Kashiram Patidar and Pawan Bohra — in and around Ujjain since 2024.

Nilesh runs at least two companies — Shri Annapurna Construction and Shree Annapurna Enterprises — with wife Sunita. Since 2024, Nilesh and wife Sunita have purchased at least 78 acres in and around Ujjain.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav performs yoga during a session on the International Day of Yoga, in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. (@CMMadhyaPradesh/X via PTI Photo)

Key Takeaways:

Family Buys Land

CM Mohan Yadav’s family purchased 137 plots (168 acres) in Ujjain for ₹45 crore since he became CM in Dec 2023.

Buyers include his wife, son’s wife, brothers, cousins, and four family-run real estate companies.

Roads Fuel Value

Around 111 of the 168 acres bought lie adjacent to new highway or road projects announced by Yadav’s government.

Key hotspots: Gangedi, Unhel, Jaiwantpur, Chandesara — all near roads being newly built or widened.

Master Plan Angle

Family holdings overlap nearly every zone in Ujjain where land use was changed from agricultural to residential.

In Pandyakhedi, 18 acres were bought in an area newly tagged “commercial” under the 2023 Master Plan.

Pre-CM Land Bank

Before becoming CM, family already held 108 plots (179 acres); 85 acres were bought when Yadav was EdMin.

Post-December 2023, purchases accelerated sharply — 62 plots spanning 92 acres were added in 2025 alone.

CM Stays Silent

CM Yadav and his office did not respond to the detailed questionnaire sent by The Indian Express.

State officials spoke only on condition of anonymity, defending the family’s land transactions.

Narrow Family Defined

Officials argued scrutiny should cover only the CM’s wife, son, and daughter-in-law — not extended relatives.

They said “nothing major” would be found if the inquiry were limited to just the immediate family.

Realty Predates Power

One official said the CM’s extended family has been in real estate “for a while” before his political ascent.

Linking their business activity to the CM’s role in government was described as “not correct.”

Sales Cited as Defence

Officials noted that not all plots purchased were retained — some were sold subsequently as part of business.

They framed the transactions as routine commercial activity, not politically motivated acquisitions.

Cousins Push Back

Govind Yadav’s son Anant said the family has been in realty since 2010, well before Yadav’s ministerial rise.

On Gangedi, he said land deals dated to 2020 and the highway clearance came in 2019 — before Yadav was CM.

Gangedi Goes Commercial

Cousin Govind Yadav and associates bought 41 acres across 16 deals in Gangedi between April 2024 and July 2025.

Within months, all plots were handed to Indore-based Shanti Mahalok Builders in five tranches for development.

Builder Deal Terms

Under one agreement, Shanti Mahalok builds at its own cost and returns 67.8% of developed units to Govind.

A second set of plots was transferred on a 60:40 split between the landowner and the builder.

Sawariya Brand Grows

Cousin Nilesh Yadav launched four housing schemes under the Sawariya brand via Shri Annapurna Construction.

All four were registered with MP RERA between October 2024 and November 2025 across key Ujjain localities.

Four Projects Listed

Sawariya Dham (Karadiya, 7.5 acres), Sawariya Dreams (Chandesera, 5 acres) were registered in late 2024.

Sawariya Green (Dhediya, 12.13 acres) and Sawariya Residency (Nanakheda, 3.7 acres) followed in 2025.

Cousins Lead Charge

Govind and Nilesh — sons of Mohan Yadav’s uncle — have spearheaded the family’s land drive since late 2023.

Together they acquired over 124 acres since 2024; Nilesh alone with wife Sunita purchased at least 78 acres.