Increasingly in the public eye, Shivraj’s son wins unopposed as MP’s volleyball body chief
3 min readBhopalUpdated: Oct 14, 2026 05:52 PM IST
Kartikey Singh Chouhan, the elder son of Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has been elected unopposed as president of the Madhya Pradesh Volleyball Association for the 2026-2030 term, giving him a prominent position in the state’s sports administration at a time when he has been increasingly visible in public and political life.
The election took place in Bhopal on October 11, with representatives of 33 district volleyball associations participating. Kartikey’s appointment comes about a year after Jyotiraditya Scindia’s son, Mahanaaryaman Scindia, was elected unopposed as president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) in September 2025, becoming its youngest president at 29. The association has historically been associated with the Scindia family.
The two appointments put the sons of two prominent BJP leaders and Union ministers at the helm of major state-level sports bodies.
After his election, Kartikey said the association would work towards preparing a draft of the Madhya Pradesh Volleyball Sports Policy 2026, extending the sport to villages and young people across the state, creating opportunities for emerging talent, and improving facilities for players.
“Our goal is to take volleyball to every village and every young person in the state, provide opportunities to new talent, and ensure better facilities for players to progress,” Kartikey said.
Kartikey’s new role comes amid a fresh burst of political activity in his father’s former bastion of Sehore. On October 12, he joined the protest over the demolition of houses belonging to 12 Barela tribal families in Kosmi village in Sehore district, a day after his father publicly criticised the action by the Forest Department and district administration. The department said it had acted against alleged encroachments.
Kartikey visited the affected families, sat with them for a meal and joined their overnight protest. He warned officials that they would have to confront him before taking action against the families. He also pledged to help rebuild their houses.
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During the protest, he celebrated the birthday of a child whose family had lost its home, saying the gathering would take a pledge to ensure the child had a permanent roof over his head by his next birthday.
The intervention followed Shivraj’s unusually public criticism of the state administration, with the Union minister questioning why tribal families who had voted for the BJP had been rendered homeless. He said he had raised the matter with senior officials and would take it up with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Kartikey has also been active in Budhni politics recently, often campaigning for his father and working with local party workers. He gained prominence during the 2024 Budhni Assembly bypoll, held after Shivraj vacated the seat following his election to the Lok Sabha.
The BJP fielded Ramakant Bhargava, and Kartikey took charge of much of the local campaigning, meeting workers at the booth, mandal and block levels. During the campaign, he triggered a controversy when he said that if “a Congress MLA were elected, not a single brick would be laid in the constituency.”
