Land Scam, Caste Politics and Power: Why BJP Just Couldn't Let Yogi Contest From Ayodhya
The prestigious Ayodhya seat slipping from Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath could be a setback to his ambition of becoming the tallest Hindutva leader.
The party's top brass, which is believed to have been left unimpressed by Adityanath's hubris, may have aimed to clip his wings by sending him back to his home turf of Gorakhpur, from where he has been elected parliamentarian five times.
This is the first time that Adityanath will contest the assembly polls.
The denial of a ticket from Ayodhya could also hit Adityanath's desire to become a pan-Uttar Pradesh leader. His bosses have now confined him within the boundaries of Gorakhpur.
Since the beginning of the election season, it was widely assumed that Adityanath would run from either Ayodhya or Mathura. The two-day visit of Sanjeev Singh, the chief minister's emissary, to Ayodhya, intensified this speculation.
In the meantime, many argued that ignoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aide A.K. Sharma when it came to the state cabinet would prove costly for Adityanath.
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On multiple occasions, Modi's message has been clear – Adityanath mattered very little. When Modi arrived at Varanasi to inaugurate the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister's photograph was missing from the full page government advertisement in newspapers.
People were also stunned when, during the inauguration of the Purvanchal Expressway, Adityanath was left walking on the road behind Modi's car while the latter rode the bullet-proof luxury vehicle.
Workers show saree printed with BJP slogans and portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath, in Surat, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. Photo: PTI
It is now clear that the prime minister and his party see Ayodhya as the centre of Hindutva politics, and are loathe to let anyone else, including top leaders, hold sway over it. Modi himself is the MP from Varanasi, another town of temples and Hindutva politics. Earlier too, no BJP heavyweight has contested from Ayodhya.
It also appears as if the party is afraid of a defeat from the Ayodhya seat. As it is a Brahmin dominant seat, and there is disillusionment among the community against the Thakur chief minister, this was a risk the party was not willing to take.
BJP was defeated in Ayodhya in the 2012 polls by Tej Narayan Pandey, also known as "Pawan Pandey" of the Samajwadi Party. Pandey was overwhelmingly supported by Brahmins of Ayodhya.
Adityanath also, notably, did not get a ticket from Mathura, as he was unlikely to get overwhelming support in Mathura as the Nath religious order to which he belongs has no religious connection with the followers of Krishna, who dominate the Mathura region.
Although the Ram temple is under construction in Ayodhya, there is disillusionment among locals against the saffron camp. Local journalist Arshad Afzal Khan says that small traders are annoyed with the party because of plans to relocate their centuries-old shops in the name of temple expansion. "Because it concerns their livelihood, people might have been moved to vote against the ruling dispensation," Khan adds.
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However, the state party leaders choose to be tight-lipped over seat distribution. BJP Rakesh Tripathi tells The Wire that the party's central leadership has been taking decisions on seats and tickets. Tripathi says that the party chose the Gorakhpur seat for the CM as he was elected MP from there multiple times.
Political analysis say that there is a sociological factor behind not fielding Adityanath from Ayodhya. Journalist Samiratmaj Mishra believes that BJP does not want to take the risk of fielding a Thakur leader from a seat where more than half the electorate are Brahmin.
In addition to the debacle in the Ayodhya seat in 2012, resentment of locals is brewing over the alleged land scam by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. According to Mishra, this alleged land purchase scam has also dented the image of the saffron party.
Local BJP leaders who had proposed the name of Adityanath to run from Ayodhya also remained silent following the central leadership's decision. Ayodhya mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay tells The Wire over the phone, "We proposed the name of CM Yogi for the candidature of the Ayodhya seat, but top leaders did not give any importance to us."
"State leadership does not have enough power to argue with the top leaders about their demands," the mayor adds.
According to senior journalists, the saffron party was in no mood to elevate Adityanath. Dr. Suman Gupta, a prominent journalist who witnessed the Ayodhya movement says, "If Yogi wins, he will become a tall Hindutva leader as he already has the image of a hardline Hindu monk.”
“This would make him a national leader who could challenge the leadership of Modi and also become a parallel leader to Amit Shah," Gupta said.
This article went live on January eighteenth, two thousand twenty two, at fifty-six minutes past three in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
