Yogi emerges as star campaigner

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mahant Yogi Adityanath, who is on a weeklong whirlwind election tour of the state, is emerging as the star campaigner in the current Vidhan Sabha election after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mahant Adityanath has been holding three-to-four election meetings in the state and even addressed a meeting at Pokhran – the site of country's two nuclear test. Interestingly, a local Mahant Pratap Puri is contesting on the BJP ticket against Congress’ Saleh Mohammed, a former MLA.

Yogi attracted a large crowd because of his uttering on Hindutva and he has been stressing on the need for safeguarding the interest of the Hinduism.

At Pokhran, where a large number of over two lakh voters in this desert area are from the minority community, the party sent him to muster the Hindu support.

The party is sending him to all such seats where the party is on a sticky wicket because of the sizeable presence of the minority voters. Yogi, in his fiery speeches, attacks on the Congress’ secular policy and the Nehru-Gandhi family rule.

He is the head of the Nath sect and there are over 48 mutts in the state that has a very strong following of the Nath sect. His rallies are attracted by a large number of people from the this sect.

In the last Lok Sabha polls, the BJP fielded two Mahants from Alwar and Sikar, and both of them won. Thus the party is trying to get as many religious leaders as possible to arouse the feelings of Hindutava.

Mahant Adityanath, during his speech, does not talk much of the national issues and all his uttering relates to the role of religion in politics. He often mentions the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ideas of development.

He, however, surprised the host BJP state unit by refusing to campaign at Tonk where the party has fielded the only Muslim Yunus Khan. It is learnt that he was against the party nominating any Muslim for the Vidhan Sabha election and as his own strategy refused to campaign at Tonk.

The Congress candidate from Tonk, Sachin Pilot has challenged the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to come and face him on a debate at Tonk. Pilot said, he was surprised to know that Yogi did not want to support the BJP's nominee only because he is Muslim. He said, if Yogi agrees for a debate, he would tell him the virtues of being a secular nation and how it has helped the country.

Pilot is getting the overwhelming support of the minority community and over eight thousand members of the family of the erstwhile Nawab of Tonk have signed a pledge in support of Pilot.

Pilot is married to Sara Abdulla, the daughter of the former Kashmir Chief Minister Sheikh Abdulla and has two sons from the marriage.

Sara Abdulla is not campaigning for her husband, but her father Sheikh Abdulla is expected to campaign here for his son-in-law.

Bollywood star Salman Khan, Amir Khan, Tabu, Nagma and a host of other stars are expected to campaign for Pilot.

Yunus Khan is expected to get Hema Malini to campaign for him apart from Paresh Rawal.