Yogi Adityanath to camp in Gorakhpur, address 19 rallies in next 5 days

To reclaim Gorakhpur, where it suffered a defeat in the bypolls last year, Uttar Pra­desh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has started cam­ping in the constituency and is scheduled to address 19 rallies in the next five days. He will also hold over a dozen workers’ meet. 

Monday onwards, Adityanath will stay in his Gorakshnath math and command the BJP’s campaign in the entire area. Polling in six Lok Sabha seats falling under Gorakhpur division will be held in the last phase of the polls on Sunday. 

After losing Gorakhpur se­at to SP-BSP candidate in the byelections last year, Yogi has fielded Bhojpuri star Ravi Kishan this time. Despite opposition from BJP local organisation, Yogi opted for Ravi Kishan Shukla and his candidature was finalised keeping in mind a large number of Brahmin votes on the seat. According to the state headquarters of the BJP, Yogi will stay in Gorakhpur till May 19 and will go for campaigning for the remaining seats in Bihar and Bengal from there.

Every day, Yogi will be addressing at least three rallies in the Gorakhpur region. Yogi and BJP got a shot in the arm after Pravin Nishad, the alliance candidate who won in the bypolls from Gorak­hpur joined the saffron brigade.

Pravin was given a BJP ticket from neighbouring Sant Kabirnagar Lok Sabha seat. After polling in Sant Kabirnagar is over on May 12, Pravin Nishad too has been asked to camp in Gorakhpur and campaign for the BJP. Pravin Nishad has been asked to focus on the Nishad community from which the SP-BSP alliance candidate Ram Bhuwal Nishad belongs. 

Another big challenge for Yogi is the Hindu Yuva Vahini floated by him only. The erstwhile president of Vahini, Suneel Singh has estranged relations with Yogi now and is campaigning for the alliance candidate. Singh himself had filed nomination from Gorakhpur but faced rejection on technical grounds. Vahini has strong presence in areas around Gorakhpur. Yogi has dismantled Vahini organisational structure and made his close aide PK Mall as its new chief. Polling for Gorakhpur, Mahrajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon and Salempur in Gorakhpur division will be held on May 19, along with Varanasi, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Ghosi, Chandauli, Gazipur and Balia.