Yogi Adityanath confirms contesting in UP polls 'if BJP decides' as Akhilesh bows out

Gearing up for re-election in Uttar Pradesh, CM Yogi Adityanath has confirmed that he will contest the forthcoming assembly polls if his party decides so. Speaking to reporters on Friday he said that the party's parliamentary board decides who will contest from where. Adityanath is currently a member of the UP Legislative Council.  The 403-seat UP assembly where Yogi Adityanath rules with an iron-clad majority of 314 seats, is up for grabs in February 2022.

Yogi Adityanath confirms 'Will contest UP polls'

Asked if he will contest the assembly polls early next year, the CM told reporters, "I have always contested elections and I will contest from wherever the party will say". He added, "The party has a parliamentary board and it decides who will contest from where". His rival - Akhilesh Yadav - has already ruled out contesting the polls, preferring the Legislative Council route if SP wins. . Yadav, who is also SP MP from Azamgarh is the chief minister face of his party.

In September, sources had said that the party will field Adityanath from any seat from his home district Gorakhpur in UP polls. Similarly, other MLCs like Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya will contest from Sirathu seat of Kaushambi, Dinesh Sharma from Lucknow and Dr. Mahendra Singh from Kunda seat of Pratapgarh, report sources. UP's past three CMs - Mayawati (2007), Akhilesh Yadav (2012) and Yogi Adityanath (2017) have not contested Assembly elections, opting to be nominate to Legislative Council instead.

Similarly, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra - UP Congress' campaign face - is mulling to contest state polls from Rae Bareli or Amethi, both once known to be age-old bastions of the party. While party cadres have urged Vadra to contest, she remained ambiguous. "That decision I have not taken yet (on whether to contest from Raebareli or Amethi.) As things develop, I will take the decision," she told ANI recently.

UP poll campaign

The ruling BJP - fighting under the leadership of incumbent CM Yogi Adityanath - faces challenges from several fronts. SP chief Akhilesh Singh Yadav has stated that SP will only ally with smaller political parties for the 2022 Assembly polls, allying with Mahan Dal, NCP, SBSP. Mayawati has already announced that her party will fight polls alone in UP and Uttarakhand, while allying only with Akali Dal in Punjab. Congress has aggressively campaigned under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi in the state, eyeing its solo return.