BJP wants Yogi to help garner Hindu votes in MP, Rajasthan

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The party high command will decide on Yogiji’s itinerary but yes, we do hope that he will campaign here (MP) for there is no denying that he has influence here RAJNEESH AGARWAL, BJP leader

LUCKNOW: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) units in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan want Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to campaign for them in the upcoming assembly polls in a bid to consolidate the Hindu vote, according to people familiar with the developments.

Adityanath, who took over as UP CM last March, is also the chief of the influential Gorakhnath mutt. He has been involved in election campaigns in states such as Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh in 2017 and Karnataka in 2018. “The party high command will decide on Yogiji’s itinerary. We hope that he will campaign here because he has influence here,” said Madhya Pradesh BJP leader Rajneesh Agarwal.

Rajasthan BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said there was a demand for Adityanath to campaign in the state because of his personality.

“He is a good speaker and also a religious leader. His personality attracts people,” he said. Senior party leader Onkar Singh LakhaSingh wat said the Nath sampradaya (tradition), of which Adityanath is the head, wields significant influence in Rajasthan. “Since the ninth century, the Marwar area and Alwar have been centres of the Nath faith so Yogi Adityanath is bound to have a resonance in these areas.” Party functionaries indicated Adityanath might visit the state in the first week of November.

Adityanath is already campaigning in Chhattisgarh, where the BJP is in power, and delivered a speech on Tuesday after chief minister Raman Singh filed his nomination papers. Using references from the Ramayana , Adityanath urged the electorate to vote to a fourth straight term in office. Singh touched Adityanath’s feet and sought his blessings. “His programme is still being finalised but yes, it’s certain that he is going to be among party’s star campaigners in pollbound states. He has a great following and will be touring extensively in these states,” says Mrityunjay Kumar, Adityanath’s adviser. Chhattisgarh goes to the polls in two phases on November 12 and 20, Madhya Pradesh on November 28 and Rajasthan on December 7.

The Congress, which is the opposition in all three states, said Adityanath’s campaign style relies on communal polarisation.

“The BJP is trying to communalise the atmosphere by using Adityanath, especially in bordering areas of Madhya Pradesh, but he won’t succeed for the people also know that he couldn’t save children from dying in his own backyard and the less said the better about law and order in UP,” says Bhupendra Gupta, a Congress leader in Madhya Pradesh, referring to the controversial deaths of scores of babies in a Gorakhpur hospital last year.