Yogi Adityanath makes history amid BJP's big win in Uttar Pradesh - 10 points

Pic courtesy: ANI

New Delhi: BJP has delivered big, once again, in the recently-concluded Assembly Elections, winning four of the five states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Goa - with Punjab going to Aam Aadmi Party. Yogi Adityanath has managed to silence his critics who had accused him and his party of divisive politics and mishandling of the Covid-19 situation, especially the second wave. Holi has indeed come early for Yogi and BJP with this big victory in the 2022 UP Assembly polls where BJP+ have bagged 273 seats. The party and its CM beat anti-incumbency to hold on to the hot seat.

Here are 10 key highlights about CM Yogi Adityanath:

- Contesting his first-ever Assembly election, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath won by a margin of 1,03,390 from Gorakhpur Urban constituency. He defeated Samajwadi Party candidate Subhawati Upendra Dutt Shukla.

- This is the first time that Adityanath has been elected as an MLA. Earlier, he had become the chief minister for the first time after being elected as a Member of the Legislative Council. 

- Before being sworn as UP chief minister in 2017, he was Gorakhpur MP for five consecutive terms from 1998 to 2017. At 26, Adityanath was the youngest Lok Sabha MP.

- After BJP chose him to be the chief minister of UP after winning the 2017 polls, Yogi kept 36 ministries under his direct control, including Home, Economics and Statistics, Sainik Welfare, Home Guard, Personnel, and appointment, as well as Civil Defence. 

- He is also the head priest of the Gorakhnath Math which is a Hindu temple in Gorakhpur.

- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has frequently endorsed him by praising his work as UP chief minister. PM Modi coined a new slogan on "UP plus Yogi bahut hai upyogi" (UP plus Yogi is very useful). 

- The Gorakhpur Sadar seat had also been a bastion of the BJP, which the party had never lost since 1967 since the days of the Jan Sangh.

- Yogi Adityanath is the first CM to return to power after Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh. Congress stalwart ND Tiwari was the last chief minister of undivided Uttar Pradesh to secure consecutive terms in 1985.

- After the win, Yogi slammed the opposition. "We were working, but they were running a massive misinformation campaign," the Chief Minister said.

- Yogi also hailed BJP's performance in other states. "Everyone had their eyes on UP, given the vastness of the state," Yogi Adityanath said. "I am thankful to the people for making us win with a majority... Under PM Modi's leadership we will be forming governments in UP, Goa, Manipur, and Uttarakhand," the Chief Minister said.

(With ANI inputs)