Former and present chief ministers have a long history of not running for elections in Uttar Pradesh, but both Yogi Adityanath and Akhilesh Yadav are back with campaigning from their respective enclaves this time. Akhilesh, Mayawati, and Mulayam Singh Yadav were in the legislative council during their last mandates, as are both Adityanath and Akhilesh today. Whatever the case, it was bad practice for a chief minister or prime minister to acquire their position without contesting an election.
Following reports that Adityanath could be nominated in other important temple towns including Ayodhya and Mathura, Akhilesh was also under pressure to prove that he could lead from the front. BJP appears to have decided that Adityanath’s fight from eastern UP will be beneficial to the party, since the region accounts for a larger number of seats. Mamata Banerjee’s decision to contest from Nandigram against Subhendu Adhikari earned TMC victory over BJP in South Bengal, and Adityanath is hoping to do so in Eastern UP, where SP is comparatively stronger with bases like Azamgarh.
The safe seats of Karhal where Akhilesh chose to campaign close to his home bastion of Saifi and Gorakhpur where Adityanath chose to campaign ensures they have enough time to campaign elsewhere without being tied down in close races. Ultimately, their decision to contest could be a sign that every vote now has meaning, and the triangular fights of recent elections may be giving way to bipolar contests between the BJP and SP.
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