Jan 15, 2022, 4:00 PM IST
The Bharatiya Janata Party decision to field Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur has triggered euphoria among local residents who unanimously say that they will vote for 'Baba'. The BJP on Saturday announced the first list of candidates for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The list said that Yogi Adityanath will be contesting from the Gorakhpur Urban seat.
The BJP has not lost the Gorakhpur Urban or Gorakhpur Sadar seat since 1989 barring the 2002 assembly election. At that time, Yogi Adityanath was a Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur. It is interesting to note that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister started his political career from Gorakhpur itself, but this would be the first time he would be contesting the assembly elections.
Asianet News reached out to the people of Gorakhpur to understand the voter sentiment on the ground. The enthusiasm was clearly skyrocketing. Almost every single person that Asianet News correspondents spoke to was happy from Yogi Adityanath would be contesting from Gorakhpur.
One person said, "For a moment, we were sad that Yogiji is going to contest elections from Ayodhya. But now that Yogiji's contest from Gorakhpur is final, then only the formality of the nomination form is left."
Not just that. People say that today, on the day of Makar Sankranti, the entire Gorakhpur will be celebrating Diwali in the evening.
Yogi Adityanath met Mahant Avaidyanath of the Gorakhnath temple during the Ram Mandir movement in the 1990s at a program of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. After a few days, Yogi reached Gorakhpur without informing his parents and took the Guru's initiation. Mahant Avaidyanath was the one who turned Ajay Singh Bisht into Yogi Adityanath. Four years later, he succeeded the throne of the Mahant of Gorakhnath temple. Mahant Avaidyanath was a four-time MP from Gorakhpur.