Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), : Gearing up for crucial polls in Gorakhpur – a constituency BJP has been retaining for decades now, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath camped in the township on Tuesday and would be holding booth level meetings on Wednesday.
According to local BJP leader Rahul Shrivastava, the Chief Minister will have two rounds of interactions with booth level workers – one at urban pocket and the other one at Suba Bazar.
In electoral politics, Gorakhpur is a known ‘saffron fortress’ and as the Mahant of ‘powerful’ Gorakhpeeth, Yogi Adityanath has been winning the seat for six consecutive terms. But the by-election in 2018 proved different and BJP lost the seat.
BJP supporters and youngsters say the ‘exception’ of 2018 by-poll was like an ‘accident’ as the saffron party was hardly serious about the contest.
“Well, it is true, the BJP lost and since then corrective steps have been taken. The election in Gorakhpur is now prestige matter for the UP Chief Minister,” says BJP Yuva Morcha member Abhinav Tripathi.
The polling in Gorakhpur will be held on the last phase of polling on May 19.
Other BJP supporters say it is time to move beyond constituencies like Amethi or Varanasi, the real VIP seat vis-a-vis in the context of Uttar Pradesh is Gorakhpur.
Meanwhile, giving push to the party’s campaign, UP Minister for Irrigation Dharm Pal Singh, in-charge of Gorakhpur region, has said that the general election 2019 is being fought on the issue of national security and strong anti-terror measures taken by the Modi government.
“On these issues, during five phases of polls the people have endorsed BJP policies and programmes. In next two phases two, the saffron party will surge ahead,” he maintained.
However, the Samajwadi Party workers feel the grand alliance of SP and BSP was able to take the fight to the rival camp.
“Our candidate and former minister Ram Bhuwal Nishad has several advantages in this year’s election,” says local Samajwadi Party worker Toofan Singh.
He also referred to the sitting BJP MP from Machhali Shahar Ram Charit Nishad, joining the Samajwadi Party last fortnight and maintained this will help the alliance.
Samajwadi Party sources also claimed that an overwhelming section of Employees’ Union of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya University have decided to back the party and this could have a critical influence in the outcome.
(UNI)
