UP CM Yogi Adityanath to contest 2022 Assembly polls; Will it be Gorakhpur or Ayodhya?

With the BJP gearing up for one of its biggest political battles, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has broken silence on whether he would be stepping onto the political battlefield himself. On Saturday, Yogi Adityanath confirmed that he will fight the 2022 elections, but refrained from answering on where he will lead his fight from. On the topic of contesting elections from Ayodhya or Gorakhpur (his Lok Sabha constituency), the Uttar Pradesh CM said that the organisation will decide who will contest from where.

While Yogi Adityanath's statement is a big announcement in itself, the decision on his choice of constituency in contesting the UP poll battle still holds considerable importance. For starters, the CM is a Member of Parliament from the Gorakhpur constituency for a whooping five consecutive terms since 1998. His connection goes deeper, given that he is also the mahant or head priest of the Gorakhnath Math, a post that he took over after the death of his spiritual "father", Mahant Avaidyanath, in September 2014. 

When it comes to Ayodhya, Yogi Aditynath has also set his roots deep into the city of Ram. With the construction of the Ram Temple, a historic dream of the local citizens underway, choosing Ayodhya as his Assembly constituency could also strongly work in his favour. Especially since the UP campaign is heavily banking on the fulfilment of one of BJP's biggest pre-poll promises- the construction of the temple.

In the lead-up to the 2022 UP polls, the CM has categorically stated that "people of the state should always remember which party made it possible for the Ram Mandir to be built in Ayodhya". Apart from his frequent visits to Ram Lalla, he has also made it quite clear that the BJP still has its eyes on remaining targets. Last week, the CM said "Jab Ayodhya ho saka, toh Mathura-Vrindavan kaise chhod denge", hinting that the saffron party was ready to tackle the land dispute that had marred the religious city of Mathura as well. 

UP Polls 2022 a litmus for 2024 

Moreover, the Uttar Pradesh Elections are being seen as a template for Lok Sabha 2024. Which makes it even more important for Yogi Adityanath to step in and test the waters. The party faced its first big litmus test in November 2021, where it managed to retain all six of its seats in the Uttar Pradesh by-polls, a feat which Yogi Adityanth said was an indicator of their victory in the 2022 Assembly elections.

It is equally important to mention here that Yogi Adityanath would soon be the first BJP Chief Minister to complete the 5-year tenure in UP-- a feat not completed even by the likes of Rajnath Singh and Kalyan Singh. 

Elections for the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh legislative Assembly will be held in February-March 2022.