Lucknow: Aggressive, confident, invincible... There have been many adjectives describing the saffron-clad chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Nevertheless, the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections have broken the aura of invincibility surrounding one of the country's most familiar faces of Hindutva. To keep his detractors at bay, Yogi Adityanath has turned more aggressive and is campaigning for a 'mini assembly poll' to prove that he is still the numero uno in the political arena of India's most populace state.
The upcoming bypolls to 10 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh may not attract the kind of attention that other elections have received, but it is an opportunity, and also a challenge, for Adityanath.
Adityanath, the first chief minister to return for a second term in the state in the past 38 years, appeared invincible barely a few months back. The picture changed after the LS polls when his senior party colleagues started blaming him for the dismal showing of the BJP in the state.
While some questioned his style of functioning and accused him of not giving due importance to ordinary party workers, others, both in the BJP and alliance partners, felt his aggressive Hindutva politics backfired in the polls. On his part, Adityanath blamed the "overconfidence" of party leaders as the reason.
Throughout the election campaign in the state, Adityanath had aggressively talked about Hindutva, the Ram Temple and "Muslim appeasement" in his style to corner the rivals. He addressed around 170 election meetings across the state besides campaigning in other parts of the country. He was one of the most sought-after campaign figures deployed by the saffron camp. Modi heaped praise on Adityanath in his rallies and patted him for "cracking down" on criminals and "restoring the glory" of Hindu religious places in the state.
Having completed two-and-a-half years in the CM's office in his second term, Adityanath continues to reign supreme amid senior colleagues attacking his style of functioning. The top brass of the BJP still not daring to interfere beyond a point in the state also proves that the Lok Sabha setback hasn't dented his hold on power.
Ever since being anointed as the CM in 2017, Adityanath has had a free run in UP. True to his style, he never cared about criticism, whether over 'bulldozer politics' or blatantly trying to polarise the electorate.
His past as the Mahant (religious head) of the highly respected Gorakhnath Peeth in Gorakhpur, which has a large following in the eastern part of the state, had already made him a revered figure. He was addressed as 'Maharaj' not only by the followers of the Peeth but also by many common people.
The fierce attacks by Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on Adityanath after the Lok Sabha polls in the presence of central leaders of the party created an impression that the aggressive leader might be on his way out. Even a few BJP MLAs opened their mouth against him — something that was unthinkable barely a few months back.
The seer-turned-politician did appear to stutter in the start, but emerged unscathed primarily because of what many in the BJP believed was the reluctance of the high command to take things "too far" given his "unpredictable" behaviour. The leaders in Delhi had reasons to be cautious.
Past lessons
That Adityanath would tolerate no dilution of his authority became clear to the BJP top brass in his first term when Modi tried to foist his trusted bureaucrat A K Sharma as the deputy CM of the state. Adityanath had put his foot down and the party was forced to backtrack. Instead, they appointed Sharma as the vice president of the state BJP unit. Notably, Sharma is currently a member of the Adityanath Cabinet.
Also, BJP old-timers in the state recall how in the 2002 assembly polls in UP, Adityanath fielded his candidates in three constituencies in Gorakhpur district after the party leadership rejected his recommendations.
State BJP leaders also, off the record, speak about Adityanath's differences with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "Yogiji could not be held responsible for the party's dismal performance in the Lok Sabha polls as he was not directly involved in the selection of candidates," said a leader.
The leader also claimed that Adityanath was not consulted before selecting the candidates and that the UP CM was not given a "free hand" in running the administration. "There was no action against some party leaders who publicly criticised Adityanath," he added, referring to the firebrand party leader and former Wrestling Federation of India president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh.
Survival in politics means winning elections. And Adityanath has taken it up as a challenge to win the upcoming bypolls to 10 assembly seats. Already billed as a mini assembly poll, the electoral battle could impact the state's political landscape in the coming months. A respectable win for the BJP would cement Adityanath's position in the party and blunt the attacks on him.
"The stakes are high for Adityanath. Another dismal performance will certainly weaken his position within the party and we may hear more dissenting voices," said a senior state BJP leader told DH.
Political analysts, however, feel that the BJP is not in a position to replace Adityanath at this stage.
"No other leader in the state BJP can even come close to his popularity. He is still the best bet for the party," said veteran political analyst J P Shukla.