How Yogi Adityanath showed media its place with his “Gorakhpur” move

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has given a stern blow to the anti-BJP mainstream media. Ahead of the UP Assembly elections, it has been announced that CM Yogi Adityanath will contest from the Gorakhpur Urban seat.

Also read: Yogi announces his candidature with all grandeur as opposition runs helter-skelter

Yogi Adityanath’s huge snub to mainstream media

The latest announcement is a huge snub for the mainstream media. Several news networks had been constantly reporting that the Chief Minister may contest the upcoming polls from Ayodhya, Mathura or Varanasi. 

The reports were probably based on the presumption that the BJP wants to bring religion into politics. The left-liberal ecosystem anyway likes to haul the BJP over the coals with the allegation of extreme religiosity in its politics.

But the latest announcement puts an end to all such speculations. Yogi Adityanath has made it clear that the BJP poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh will go ahead according to party leadership’s strategy and the mainstream media won’t be allowed to set the narrative. 

Also read: If Yogi Adityanath fights from Ayodhya, UP elections will change forever

Yogi Adityanath shows the media its place

But why should Yogi Adityanath contest polls from Gorakhpur Urban? Well, the party is incredibly powerful in Gorakhpur. It has been a BJP stronghold for 33 years and the Uttar Pradesh CM has a strong base there. And showing Yogi Adityanath’s powerful base in Gorakhpur helps the BJP. Gorakhpur is a major city in east UP, or the part of UP that is popularly known as Purvanchal. 

The thing about East UP is that during the 2017 Assembly polls, BJP’s winning margins in the region were narrower than those in West UP. So, avoiding media rumours and fielding CM Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur makes strategic sense. 

And when it comes to reports of fielding the CM from Ayodhya, Varanasi or Mathura, it was just a speculation sparked by a certain section of the media. Had the BJP leadership tried to get swayed by the media speculations, it would have altered electoral equations significantly. The BJP has frankly done well to ignore the baseless rumours and proceed with its election campaign. 

How the mainstream media is trying to save its face? 

The mainstream media had probably assumed that they have compelled the BJP into accepting the narrative that was being set for it. Therefore, the announcement of fielding Yogi Adityanath from the Gorakhpur Urban seat comes as a big surprise for many. 

In fact, the narrative floating around now is that the Chief Minister has decided to contest from a ‘safe’ seat. Former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, for instance, said, “Earlier it was said that he [Adityanath] will contest from Mathura, Prayagraj, Ayodhya or Deoband. I am happy that the BJP has already sent him home [Gorakhpur].”

The former UP Chief Minister also said, “Although he (Yogi Adityanath) is in Gorakhpur, he had a ticket dated March 11 (counting of votes on March 10) booked for it earlier. I think that he should stay back in Gorakhpur and there is no need for him to return (to Lucknow). Heartiest congratulations.”

Let us, however, point out that Yogi Adityanath is at least contesting as an election candidate, instead of taking the safer Legislative Council route. Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, the CM candidates of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are not contesting Assembly elections. 

Yogi Adityanath is the only CM candidate who is actually confident of winning the upcoming elections. And he is not playing into the hands of mainstream media either.