Amid the recent visit of the CM’s emissary to Ayodhya, saints are upbeat about the likelihood of Yogi Adityanath contesting assembly poll from the temple town.
The state BJP leadership is also seeking opinion of saints, prominent persons of temple town, party office bearers and booth level workers on the issue. Speculations on the probability of the CM contesting from Ayodhya got credence after his emissary Sanjeev Singh spent two days there last week meeting party workers.
Sanjeev Singh, office on special duty (OSD) to the chief minister, was in Ayodhya to meet office bearers and party workers and seek their opinion on the CM’s candidature from Ayodhya (Sadar) assembly seat in the upcoming UP poll. He got a positive response from them.
“If BJP decides to field the CM from Ayodhya, it will be a good decision not only for Ayodhya but the entire region,” said Sharad Sharma, regional spokesperson for Vishva Hindu Parishad. Saints of the temple town are also upbeat about this possibility.
“All this exercise points towards the state leadership of the BJP exploring possibilities of the CM contesting from Ayodhya,” said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das who is chairman of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust. “If CM contests from Ayodhya, development work not only in Ayodhya about in the entire Awadh region will be expedited,” added the Mahant.
By exploring the possibility of CM’s candidature from Ayodhya, the BJP leadership wants to influence around 82 assembly seats falling in Awadh region comprising 22 districts. “Chief minister’s OSD was in Ayodhya for two days. He met party officials and booth level workers to sought their opinion about the CM’s candidature from Ayodhya in assembly polls,” said a senior BJP office bearer of Ayodhya.
“The CM’s emissary also handed over a bag carrying a cell phone, a stole and a booklet having details of the state government’s achievements in the last five years,” he added. The BJP leadership has also sought a list of prominent saints and people of Ayodhya ward-wise to seek their opinion on the issue.
In Ayodhya, the most favoured assembly seat for the CM would be Ayodhya (Sadar) constituency. At present, BJP MLA Ved Prakash Gupta represents this assembly segment in the assembly.
After becoming CM in March 2017, Yogi has been to Ayodhya more than 32 times. On all his visits, the CM visited Ram Janmabhoomi and Hanuman Garhi temple. After the Election Commission of India issued notification to set the poll process rolling on Saturday, candidates have started making an all-out effort to get ticket from their favoured assembly constituencies.
