Yogi vs Azad: Who Will Win The High-Octane Battle of UP’s Gorakhpur?

Gorakhpur Urban will vote in the sixth phase on March 03. Yogi Adityanath will be the second leader to contest from the district as a Chief Minister after Tribhuvan Narayan Singh, who lost in 1971.

New Delhi: Gorakhpur Sadar (Urban) Vidhan Sabha seat of Uttar Pradesh is set to witness a high-octane battle as incumbent Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will face a tough fight in his home turf since Bhim Army Chief’s Chandra Shekhar Azad has decided to contest the UP elections from the prestigious seat. The incumbent chief minister is the second leader to contest from the district as a Chief Minister after Tribhuvan Narayan Singh, who lost in 1971.

Adityanath, who is popularly known in the region as ‘Mahant ji‘ because of him heading the famous Gorakhnath temple, has served as the Lok Sabha member five times from Gorakhpur since 1998. The Hindu Yuva Vahini — founded by him in 2002 — also has a considerable presence in the area. Reports suggest that Adityanath’s footprint is visible in the selection of BJP candidates in the Gorakhpur region in particular. Adityanath is a member of the state election committee which sorts out candidates and party sources say that he wields considerable influence in the process.

BJP’s Stronghold in Gorakhpur

In 2017, Dr. Radha Mohan Das Agrawal of Bharatiya Janata Party won the seat by defeating Congress’ Rana Rahul Singh with a margin of 60730 votes. Soon after the BJP decided to field UP CM Yogi from his bastion and party stronghold there were mixed reactions from political parties on the matter. Main opposition Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also sought to woo the sitting BJP MLA Radha Mohan Aggarwal, offering him his party ticket for the seat. For the unversed, BJP MLA Radha Mohan Agarwal has been the MLA from Gorakhpur Urban seat since 2002. Agarwal became the BJP’s candidate in 2007, 2012 and 2017 Uttar Pradesh polls from Gorakhpur Urban seat.

Gorakhpur Urban Assembly Election 2017 Candidate List & Winner

‘Not Afraid To Fight Against Yogi’

Talking exclusively to the Indian Express, Bhim Army Chief’s Azad asserted that he has been on the ground fighting against the oppressive policies of this government. “The Opposition should have fielded their strongest candidates against Yogi Adityanath. I am not afraid to go against him. Had Bhagat Singh been afraid, India wouldn’t have got independence. I will fight with integrity… And I have the blessings of many families with me”, he told the portal.

Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad will contest from Gorakhpur as Azad Samaj Party (ASP) candidate against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

BJP’s Strategy Behind Fielding Yogi

The BJP seems to have strategically fielded Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur Urban in the assembly elections to maintain its sway over 62 seats in the region following desertion by some ministers hailing from the area. Party insiders say Adityanath had campaigned vigorously in the 2017 polls in the region which had helped the saffron party win 44 of the 62 seats in Gorakhpur and nine other neighbouring districts. The party has also got a prized catch in influential Congress leader R P N Singh to check the erosion in its support base among OBCs in the wake of the recent exit of backward caste leaders like Swami Prasad Maurya and Dara Singh Chauhan as well as Om Prakash Rajbhar, who had quit earlier.

BJP Gorakhpur region vice-president Satyendra Sinha told PTI, “Yogi ji was the party’s star campaigner in 2017 while being an MP and because of him, BJP got a lot of benefit in the Gorakhpur region and this time he is the chief minister. And since he is a candidate from Gorakhpur (urban) assembly constituency, BJP will definitely get an advantage under his leadership,” he added. The Party’s regional coordinator of the Panchayat Cell, Ajay Tiwari said, “The BJP will not suffer any loss due to Swami Prasad joining the SP. The party will get the benefit of the development done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi in the area.”

Opinion Poll Predicts Thumping Victory For Yogi-Led BJP In Purvanchal

Gorakhpur Sadar Vidhan Sabha seat comes under the Purvanchal (eastern) region of UP. Purvanchal comprises 17 districts — Azamgarh, Ballia, Basti, Chandauli, Deoria, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Mau, Mirzapur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Siddharth Nagar, Sonbhadra, and Varanasi.

According to the Opinion Poll conducted by Zee News-DesignBoxed, the BJP is predicted to get 53-59 seats while Samajwadi Party is likely to bag 39-45 seats of the total 102 in Purvanchal. On the other hand, with a whopping 48% votes, incumbent CM Yogi Adityanath emerged as the favorite candidate for the top post, followed by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav with 35%. BSP chief Mayawati was at a distant third with 9% support. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has the support of only 4% of participants.

UP Elections 2022: Poll Schedule 

Elections in Uttar Pradesh would be conducted across seven phases from February 10 to March 7 and the results would be declared on March 10.  Notably, voting for the UP elections 2022 will start from the western region initially and later will progress towards the east during the seven phases. With a total of 1,74,351 polling stations across the state, more than 15 crore voters are expected to cast their vote this year. Gorakhpur Urban will vote in the sixth phase on March 03.