SP candidate seeks BJP leaders' blessings for poll battle against Yogi in Gorakhpur

Photos of Shubhawati Shukla with Brahmin BJP leaders is causing a buzz

Yogi Adityanath is set to face off against Azad Samaj Party's Chandrasekhar Azad as well in Gorakhpur. Credit: PTI Photo

Seen as a ploy to put one over Yogi Adityanath, Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Shubhawati Shukla's photos of seeking blessings and touching the feet of Union Minister Shiv Pratap Shukla created a buzz on social media. Shukla is seen taking the blessings of former BJP MP and retired Lieutenant General, Prakash Mani Tripathi, at his Civil Lines residence in Gorakhpur, in the run-up to the poll battle against Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur.

Both the BJP leaders are considered political rivals of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while the SP candidate is the widow of a BJP leader, Upendra Dutt Shukla, who was also a political rival of the chief minister.

Shukla and her two sons joined the Samajwadi Party recently and accused the BJP of not caring for them after her husband's demise.

Shiv Pratap Shukla, a Rajya Sabha MP, is seen as an influential Brahmin face in Purvanchal. He was elected the Gorakhpur MLA in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1996 but in 2002, Radha Mohan Das Agarwal defeated him on a Hindu Mahasabha ticket, with Yogi's backing and support.

Also Read — Battle for UP: On protest for 26 years, ex-teacher to contest against Yogi

"BJP needs the support of Brahmins in Gorakhpur Urban seat which has 19 per cent Brahmins. The SP candidate is apparently trying to send out a message that she enjoys the support of Brahmin leaders in a land that is known for its legendary Thakur-Brahmin hostility. Yogi Adityanath is a Thakur and he even said in a recent interview that he was proud to belong to the Thakur community," a political analyst said.

Although there are not expected to be any surprises with regard to the outcome of the election in Gorakhpur, Shukla is trying to make the most of a divide within the BJP, as resentment towards the CM persists among Brahmins.

Shukla's strategists are trying to turn the situation to their advantage. "One photograph conveys more than words and this is what she has done," said a party functionary in Gorakhpur.

The functionary said that the photograph may not change much for the SP candidate but it has definitely caused embarrassment for the chief minister.

Watch latest videos by DH here: