Gorakhpur (Sadar) is to be the site of the first Assembly election to be fought by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who had otherwise represented the Lok Sabha seat there. He is also the head of the Gorakhnath Peeth of the Nath Sampradaya, which dominates the culture and society of the area.
In and around the Gorakhnath temple complex the talk is about the margin of victory, while the BJP is looking at the Chief Minister as someone who can deliver the nine Assembly seats in Gorakhpur district.
In these nine seats (eight of which the BJP won in 2017), the party has dropped four of its sitting MLAs a pointer that local anti-incumbency is a factor. In Chauri Chaura, the BJP has conceded one seat to its alliance partner, the Nishad Party, for the same reason. "Though there are nine candidates from our party and alliance partner at all the nine seats in Gorakhpur, the people of Gorakhpur have made up their minds that Maharaj ji (as Yogi Adityanath is referred to) is contesting from all the seats and will ensure that Maharaj ji wins all the seats from Gorakhpur," said Shashi Kumar, social media co-convenor for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and currently in the BJP team deputed for the district.
