The trends indicate that Yogi Adityanath’s BJP government is set to regain control of Uttar Pradesh despite recent events that appear to paint a negative picture of the government. A lot has happened for the Adityanath government, including protests by farmers, killings at Lakhimpur Kheri, the misreporting of deaths by Covid-19, bodies in the Ganga, desertions by OBC leaders, and the backlash following the Unnao rape case. More surprising is the Opposition’s inability to capitalize on the anti-incumbency factor.
Yogi Adityanath became Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister by surprise after the BJP won the 2017 elections by a landslide. It is almost certain that Adityanath is going to get another term in office with the Bharatiya Janata Party set to win the election for a second straight time. Adityanath, born Ajay Singh Bisht in Pauri Garhwal’s Panchur (now Uttarakhand), left home in 1990 to join the campaign for Ram temples in Ayodhya. In Gorakhpur, he also became a disciple of Mahant Avaidyanath.
Upon the death of Avaidyanath, he became the head of Gorakhnath ‘math’, a post he still holds and visits frequently. The Hindu Yuva Vahini was formed by him as a volunteer band of activists to combat the BJP at that time. He completed a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University after attending school in his native village.
On the advice of his guru, he entered politics in 1998, winning Gorakhpur as the youngest member of the Lok Sabha. After representing the parliamentary seat four more times, he became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on March 19, 2017. During his first term, he banned illegal slaughterhouses and the police cracked down on cow slaughter. He brought a bill and an ordinance against conversion through force or deceit, which also seemed to target interfaith marriages. Other BJP-ruled states followed the UP example, enacting similar laws.
Earlier last year, there was speculation that the BJP wanted to replace Adityanath as chief minister. As rumors died down, top leaders argued that he needed to be back as CM in 2022 if the party wanted to return to power in 2024. The party leaders applauded the Adityanath-Modi ‘double-engine’ government in the state. BJP’s victory in the 2022 assembly election may have further solidified his standing within the party. The saffron party is poised to win twice in a row in the state polls, a feat unmatched in the past three decades.
Some critics have accused Adityanath of using strong-arm tactics to fight crime – and others have praised him for doing so. In campaign speeches, ‘bulldozers’ have repeatedly been used as a metaphor for razing illegal buildings. The opposition slammed his government for its handling of law and order, alleging that it followed a ‘thoko niti’. Officials deny the claim. During this campaign, he has also been accused of ‘polarizing’ the state’s two major ethnic groups.
Post Your Comments