Year 2023 has been a 'politically-speaking' year with several politicians grabbing the news space. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Rahul Gandhi to Mahua Moitra to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, leaders who became the newsmaker of the year. As the year is about to end, let's have a look at such leaders.
Narendra Modi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's iconic waving of Indian flag at the Chandrayaan-3 launch to handing over the ODI World Cup to Australia, kept the newsrooms busy. While the PM was credited for the victories of three states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, he was also said to be the inspiration for the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3. He also added another feather to India's achievements after hosting the G-20 global summit. PM Modi was also honoured with Ebakl Award by the Republic of Palau and Companion of the Order of Fiji, the highest honour of Fiji in May. 
Bhajanlal Sharma: The BJP named Bhajanlal Sharma as its surprise pick for the CM post on December 12. Sharma, who is from Bharatpur district, won the Sanganer constituency of Jaipur with a margin of 48,081 votes. He was regarded as a dedicated RSS and BJP worker, who went about his job without making any fuss. He moved up the ladder in the state BJP, holding responsibilities in the organisation but never in the government. About three decades back, he held his first public office as the sarpanch of a village in Bharatpur district.
Revanth Reddy: An indomitable Congress fighter, Revanth Reddy, took on the mighty BRS and was named the Telangana Chief Minister after the grand old party registered a win on K Chandrasekhar Rao's turf. Reddy is credited with steering the Congress to power in Telangana by challenging both the mighty BRS, which had a stranglehold on Telangana politics, and the ambitious BJP, which was striving hard to emerge as the alternative. Reddy's career in public life is intriguing as it began with student activism in the right-wing ABVP and later included a brief period of incarceration amid bribery allegations. He played a spirited role as PCC president in the battle against the BRS, led by former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who enjoys a larger-than-life image.
Vishnu Deo Sai: Vishnu Deo Sai was named as Chhattisgarh's fourth Chief Minister. Vishnu Deo Sai, who began as a sarpanch in Chhattisgarh in 1990, went on to become multiple-time MP and a Union minister, emerging as the BJP's tribal face known for humility and organisational skills. Sai, 59, is the first tribal chief minister from the BJP which decided to give the top post to a leader from the community that accounts for nearly 32 per cent of the state's population and is the second most dominant social group after OBCs. Sai is known for his down-to-earth approach, work dedication and determination to achieve goals.
Mohan Yadav: The BJP has picked Mohan Yadav (58), an OBC leader and a three-time MLA, as the next chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Yadav, the three-time BJP MLA, is the 19th chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. The elevation of Yadav, who was not among the contenders for the CM's post, is being seen as a move by the BJP to win over the numerically significant Other Backward Classes (OBC) community in other parts of the country ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due next year. The OBCs account for more than 48 per cent of Madhya Pradesh's population and form the core voter base for the saffron party.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the four-term chief minister, was replaced as Madhya Pradesh CM by BJP's pick Mohan Yadav. BJP not giving another term to Chouhan rolled many eyeballs at a time when Chouhan was credited for the change of winds for the party in the state. Before polls, experts were of the view that Congress may win back the state. However, Shivraj Singh Chouhan's 'Ladli Behna scheme', which provides eligible women Rs 1,250 monthly financial assistance, and later promised to gradually hike the amount to Rs 3,000 is said to be the game-changer in the elections. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, after being sidelined by the party, has still vowed to get maximum seats in Lok Sabha elections for the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi: The Congress leader's Bharat Jodo Yatra ended in January. However, things got bad for the leader when his membership ended after a court conviction in the Modi surname case. Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a member of parliament in the Lok Sabha after being found guilty of defamation case. Gandhi was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison. He however was reinstated following the Supreme Court overruled the conviction on August 7.
Manish Sisodia: The AAP leader was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 for his alleged role in corruption in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2020-21. Sisodia, who held the excise portfolio, resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28. The ED too arrested the leader in a money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9 after questioning him in Tihar jail. The AAP leader has been in custody since then. The court recently extended the judicial custody of AAP leader till January 10, 2024.
Mahua Moitra: TMC leader Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha in the 'cash-for-query' case. The Ethics Committee's report, which held her accountable for accepting gifts and illegal gratification, paved the way for her expulsion, the move which is regarded as a blow to her 14-year political career. Moitra, who was an investment banker with JP Morgan Chase in New York and London before shifting her trajectory to politics, has however moved the Supreme Court to challenge her expulsion from the Lok Sabha, after the House adopted the report of its Ethics Committee that held her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interests. According to TMC sources, the party leadership has affirmed Moitra's candidacy for the Krishnanagar seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Ajit Pawar: Nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar grabbed the headlines when he forced split the party by taking away eight MLAs joining the Eknath Shinde government. Since then, he has been describing himself as the party's national president. He defended his move of joining the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, saying several top politicians took "different" stand in the political history of the state. At present, the uncle and the nephew are busy fighting their cases in the Supreme Court over the name and symbol of the party.
