BJP’s decision to field Yogi Adityanath from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur assembly seat sounds safer than for the political gamble of contesting him from Ayodhya and Mathura, fraught with contestation and challenges within the rank and cadre of the saffron party.
Firstly, Yogi can convince his electorate, with Swami Prasad Maurya’s defection to the Samajwadi Party, of his tenure and track record over his rival Akhilesh Yadav, notorious for misrule and misgovernance during his period.
Secondly, Yogi’s popularity in Purvanchal may substantially lower the anti-incumbency pinch with the region acting as a safe house of Hindutva. Otherwise, it would be testing for the BJP to go past targets of 350+ which at the moment looks pretty challenging to be aimed and achieved with resentment and rebellions from education, healthcare, infrastructure, employment, etc.
The state has been faring poorly in all indices and parameters. Exploiting it to its benefits will be equally trying for the opposition distanced and divided with Congress and BSP fighting all alone except for Akhilesh allying with smaller political outfits bettering his prospects how it plays out till the very end can be anybody’s call around assumptions and presumptions. Khela has just begun !!!