Yogi Adityanath is UP CM LIVE: Will pressure of governance have sobering effect on Hindutva hardliner?

Opposition parties spar with BJP over Yogi Adityanath’s appointment

Congress leader Veerappa Moily called it the “biggest assault” on secularism, although the party’s official reaction was tempered with caution, saying it will act as “watchdog of people’s interest”. The BJP, however, stood behind Yogi, notwithstanding his strident pro-Hindutva credentials, insisting he stands for development. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said UP will benefit a lot from his “competent leadership” and will soon become ‘Uttam Pradesh’. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the lone Muslim minister in the Narendra Modi government, defended BJP’s choice of Adityanath, saying he will work for the party’s “inclusive growth” agenda.

— PTI

Hard Hindutva to the fore but will pressure of governance be a sobering influence on Adityanath?

The selection of the Mahant of Gorakhnath Math as Uttar Pradesh chief minister makes one thing clear: BJP’s politics in the state would revolve around hardline Hindutva in the coming days. The choice of the party’s top decision-makers has to be deliberate and well-considered. Yogi Adityanath is not likely to be the one to play the soft Hindutva tune after assuming power. But he has to deliver on development too, and too much social tension won’t work well for his government. This could sober him down a lot. How he balances both would be keenly watched.

Yogi Adityanath says sabka saath, sabka vikas: Why it does not impress many 

I will follow Modi’s mantra ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’, said Yogi Adityanath after being chosen by the party to be chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Why aren’t many cheering the statement? Well, his track record as a Hindutva firebrand could be a bit unsettling for even those who have weakness for the Hindutva ideology. It is natural for them to be wary of someone who has no qualms about being unabashedly combative when it comes to religion. For those not in the know, he suggested that those who don’t practice yoga should leave Hindustan. And those averse to doing suryanamaskar should jump into the sea. Of course, his hard views on the Muslim community are well-known. So when someone like him talks of sabka saath, sabka vikas it has to be taken with a pinch of salt.

By appointing Yogi Adityanath as UP CM, BJP has made its boldest ideological statement

For the first time, it is clear that the BJP is not being surreptitious about its ideological agenda. If it is branded as a hard core Hindutva party, so be it. No apologies required. It’s confident that it can accommodate it with its development agenda without a conflict. This could have come from the renewed confidence from the mandate in the state where it mixed Hindu polarisation and issues of development with ease. The results told it that it can take along both. This could be the party’s template for all future elections in states across the country.

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Narendra Modi, BJP have sold us a Hindutva dummy in the name of vikas

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It is difficult to see how Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to achieve his goal of inclusive development for all by giving the Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s chair to a bigoted Hindutva hardliner who has made a career out of inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric. This isn’t just legitimising the loony Right, but also telling Muslims that they are unwelcome in a state where they form nearly 20 percent of the population.

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Adityanath as UP CM part of Modi’s ‘New India’ vision: Owaisi

Yogi Adityanath’s elevation as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is part of Narendra Modi’s vision of a “new India”, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said on Saturday, taking a jibe at the decision.

​Owasi, a firebrand Muslim leader, said he was the least surprised by the decision.

This is an assault on India’s age-old “ganga jamuni tehzeeb” — a fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultures, he said.

“This is Modiji and BJP’s new India. But this is not at all surprising. The Samajwadi Party cheated the Muslims when it was in power. And now we will see a model of exclusivist development. This is the ‘vikas’ they talk about,” Owaisi told PTI.

While Owaisi was vocal on the issue, another prominent Muslim leader, Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari took a guarded approach, hoping Adityanath would shed his controversial past.

“I welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s post-election statement that a government has to be run through consensus, not majority. I hope the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh will follow these words. Hope the controversies will remain a thing of the past,” Bukhari said.
 

PTI

Yogi Adityanath’s appointment show’s BJP’s true colour: BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadauria

BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadauria has said that the controversial leader’s appointment as CM-designate has finally revealed BJP’s true colours. Alleging the saffron party of practicing divisive politics, Bhadauria said that the move shows that the BJP has finally given up all pretense of being a development oriented party.

Congress reacts to Yogi Adityanath’s appointment, says 3 power centre’s in UP govt show in-fight in BJP

Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala has tweeted out the party’s official statement, which lists out several of BJP’s poll promises. The Congress statement also states that it will continue to be a watchdog for the people, while expressing hope that the new government will rise above everything and work for UP’s development.

In democracy, it’s winning party’s prerogative to choose CM-designate: SP’s Azam Khan on Yogi Adityanath becoming CM

Yogi Adityanath’s polarising image media’s creation, he is a progressive leader at heart: Sidharth Nath Singh

Speaking to NDTV correspondent, senior BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh said that the way Yogi Adityanath is percieved is media’s doing, while at heart the five-time MP remains a pro-development leader. He said that the BJP is synonymous to development and nobody and nothing could deter it from that. He also exuded confidence that Adityanath’s government will run in keeping with Modi ji’s Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas slogan.

Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas on Yogi Adityanath’s agenda

Speaking to the press after staking claim to form the government, Yogi Adityanath said that he is confident that he will be able to face the challenge of governing the state. He said that he will be able to promote Modi’s agenda of Sabka sath sabka vikas, in the state.

We will develop the state in line Modi ji’s Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas slogan: UP CM designate

Yogi Adityanath meets governor, satkes claim to form government in UP

Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh congratulates Yogi Adityanath, KP Maurya and Dinesh Sharma

‘Uttar Pradehs will soon be Uttam Pradesh in Adityanath’s leadership’

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan has said that UP will soon transform into “Uttam Pradesh” under Yogi Adityanath’s “able leadership.” He said that Adityanath has been an able workhorse of the party and has the welfare of people at his heart. He also said that Adityanath’s intent has always been to take everyone forward on the path of development.

‘Uttar Pradehs will soon be Uttam Pradesh in Adityanath’s leadership’

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan has said that UP will soon transform into “Uttam Pradesh” under Yogi Adityanath’s “able leadership.” He said that Adityanath has been an able workhorse of the party and has the welfare of people at his heart. He also said that Adityanath’s intent has always been to take everyone forward on the path of development.

MP CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan tweets congratulations to Yogi Aditynath, says UP will progress under his leadership

We will work for Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas,  under Yogi Ji’s leadership: Pankaj Singh

Rajnath Singh’s son and BJP MLA from Noida, Pankaj Singh has said that the new BJP government will pursue its developmental agenda for everyone under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath.

CM Designate Yogi Adityanath reaches Raj Bhawan in Lucknow, will meet the governor shortly

Watch: Supporters of Yogi Adityanath celebrating in his constituency Gorakhpur
 

Supporters of Yogi Adityanath celebrate in Gorakhpur after @BJP4UP legislature party declared the name of long-time BJP MP for #UPCM pic.twitter.com/3u7MkcbdaU

— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 18, 2017

Meanwhile… #YogiAdityanath, #JaiShreeRam amid top Twitter trends

Yogi Adityanath was the top trend and Jai Shree Ram, the Hindu chant hailing Lord Rama, was also trending on Twitter. Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh was the most searched keyword on Google as well.

Swearing-in at 2.15 pm on Sunday, PM Modi, Amit Shah to attend oath taking ceremony: M Venkaiah Naidu

Yogi Adityanath requested for two deputies: Venkaiah Naidu

Venkaiah Naidu said that Yogi Adityanath sought the help of two deputies citing the complexity in running a state as vast as Uttar Pradesh. This paved the way for KP Maurya and Dinesh Sharma to be designated as deputy CMs.

All MLAs supported Yogi Adityanath’s name as next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister: M Venkaiah Naidu

MLAs decided on Yogi Adityanath: M Venkaiah Naidu

Venkaiah Naidu, Yogi Adityanath to address press conference shortly

Who is Yogi Adityanath : Meet the CM designate of Uttar Pradesh

Yogi Adityanath is a five-time Member of the Parliament from Gorakhpur constituency. He has represented the constituency in the Lok Sabha since 1998. His style of politics is popular in the Gorakhpur belt and he is notoriously famous for his ‘ghar wapsi’ and ’love jihad’ campaigns.

Born on 5 June, 1972, in Panchur district of Uttarakhand, his father, Mahant Avaidyanath Maharaj, too was a religious leader. He graduated from HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand with a B.Sc degree.

Before he joined politics, he was a religious missionary and is the founder the Hindu Yuva Vahini

Keshav Prasad Maurya confirms Yogi Adityanath is CM designate, says he and Dinesh Sharma will be deputy CMs

Chants of “Yogi Yogi”, “Jai Shree Ram” reverberate outside BJP meet venue

UP CM race only a creation of media, Yogi ji is and was the only choice: BJP’s Sardhana MLA Sangeet Som

Speaking to CNN-News18 Manoj Sinha said, “All such races are created by media, the race according to us started today, and it has ended today. He was the first and final pick of the party.”

BJP leader Ramlal tweets that Yogi Adityanath is the UP CM

Yogi Adityanath to be Uttar Pradesh chief minister, KP Maurya, Dinesh Sharma will be deputy CMs

He should take everyone along: Yogi Adityanath’s father to CNN-News18

Official announcement yet to come even as media calls it for Yogi Adityanath

Yogi Adityanath will be the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister

Manoj Sinha stays away from BJP legislative meet, as word goes around that Union Minster has fallen out of race

Until yesterday, news organisations, including Firstpost, were predicting that Manoj Sinha will be the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. But something changed in the political contours of the state, and the man who was reportedly tipped to be the CM until yesterday, was sideliend on the D-day. As the BJP legislative meet is underway, the Minster camped in Varanasi away from the chaos.

Meanwhile… whether or not Adityanath wins the race, he is already on top of Twitter trends

Yogi Adityanath was the top trend on twitter, with 10.1 K tweets at the time of writing post. Other hashtags such as #Yogi4CM #yogi and #YOGIFORCM were also gaining traction on the microblogging site.

BJP Mega meet starts as Venkaiah Naidu reaches venue of the meeting

Does Yogi Adityanath’s name entering the fray at last moment hints at RSS intervention?

Post the dawn of the Modi era, much was said and written about the new BJP that was run like a one-man show (or rather two-men show). Narendra Modi and Amit Shah were considered as the people who pulled the strings. However, the way Manoj Sinha, who was said to be Modi’s pick was sidelined, sends a signal that there could have been a last moment intervention by the RSS to get its man appointed at the top job.

This brings to mind the question, who really calls the shot in the saffron party.

Meanwhile… Chants of “Desh me Modi ji Pradesh me Yogi ji” shouted outside Lok Bhawan

Crowd rooting for Yogi Adityanath has, in the meantime, swelled outside Lok Bhawan and chants of slogans in favour of Yogi Adityanath were heard. As the cavalcade of Adityanath entered the venue, his supporters cheered the Gorakhpur MP as the next UP CM.

Venkaiah Naidu holds emergency meeting with UP CM frontrunners

The top contenders in Uttar Pradesh are making the decision really tough for the BJP. In a hurried emergency meet held before the MLAs meeting, Venkaiah Naidu had spoken to Yogi Adityanath, and Keshav Prasad Maurya amid others.

Venkaiah Naidu calls Kalraj Mishra to attend BJP legislative meet

According to CNN-News18, Venkaiah Naidu had requested the presence of senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra to ensure that discipline is maintained amid the supporters of the losing group.

Bhupendra Yadav, BJP observer reaches Lok Bhawan

As speculations around UP CM pick go haywire, two deputy CMs could be the BJPs masterstroke in the game of castes

Given the enormity of BJP’s win in the Assembly elections, BJP is worried about proper representation of various castes that voted for the party. Between Manoj Sinha, Yogi Adityanath, and Keshav Prasad Maurya, the chief minister candidate is likely to come from the Poorvanchal. However, by naming someone from the western belt and a different caste base from that of the chief ministerial pick, can help the party accommodate proper representation to all groups.

UP to have two deputy CMs?

Just as we had all news channels convinced that Manoj Sinha will indeed be the UP CM and it ws near fixed, a sudden surge of speculations around Yogi Adityanath’s name sent news organisations into a tizzy.

Meanwhile, CNN-News 18 reported that the BJP could be mulling to introduce two deputy chief ministers in the state, and KP Maurya and Dinesh Sharma are considered to be the frontrunners for the post of second-in-command.

Yogi Adityanath, KP Maurya meet BJP observers

In a move that could be read in contrasting lights, BJP observers, M Venkaiah Naidu and Bhubendra Yadav met Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya, both of whom are frontrunners in the race to become UP CM.

While some news report, dubbed it as efforts to pacify the two heavy weight leaders who command huge support base in their respective region, others said it signalled that Yogi Adityanath has re-entered the race to become Uttar Pradesh CM, and might as well be leading the race.

NDTV journalist tweets Yogi Adityanath to be Uttar Pradesh CM

Meanwhile.. there is a new last minute entrant to the race of UP CM

According to ground reporters of CNN-News18, speculations around another name has warmed up in Lucknow, just ahead of the legislative meet. The news channel says Swatandra Dev Singh, a Kurmi leader from Bundelkhand is also in the race now.

Yogi Adityanath reaches Lucknow, after holding talks with Amit Shah, Modi in Delhi: India Today

80 BJP MLAs reach UP Lok Bhawan in Lucknow, legislative party meet to begin shortly

According to Times Now, 80 of the 312 BJP MLAs have already reached the Lok Bhawan in Lucknow, where the meeting is scheduled to start shortly.

‘RSS wants say in deciding UP CM’

According to a report in NDTV , the news website has learnt from its sources that the Rashtriya Swayam Sangh, the mothership of the saffron party, has pressed in at the last moment to have its say in picking UP CM.

The news report also said that the BJP national president Amit Shah has been in touch with the RSS leadership and has briefed the right-wing establishment about the top names being considered in the race.

But what’s all the hush about UP CM pick when the saffron party got a thumping win?

The BJP top brass has taken its time to decide on the UP Chief Minister after results were declared on 11 March. The sources said the party is extra cautious as it is returning to power in Uttar Pradesh after a 15-year hiatus. Moreover, in view of Lok Sabha election in 2019, BJP cannot afford to take any wrong  decision, said some party insiders when asked about the delay in declaring the CM’s name.

After a stupendous win in the Assembly election, the party can ill afford to lower its guard. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 MPs to Lok Sabha and is extremely  important in the BJP’s scheme of things.

Party insiders said the overwhelming mandate has posed a fresh challenge for the BJP to meet sky-high expectations.

Venkaiah Naidu reaches Lucknow, says names in media mere speculations

Venkaiah Naidu, the saffron party’s appointed observer to Uttar Pradesh, has reached Lucknow ahead of the legislative party meet. He has reportedly held unofficial conversations with party workers and key MLAs and will convene the meeting that is to begin at 5 pm today.

Naidu, while speaking to reporters was also dismissive of the media speculations playing up a few names for the UP top job above others. He said the names doing rounds are mere media speculations, and the final decision will be taken only after the MLAs meet.

Keshav Prasad Maurya asks supporters to follow party line

According to a report in CNN-News18, Keshav Prasad Maurya has requested his supporters, apparently miffed at the news that Maurya could have fallen out of the race to become UP CM, to follow party line and accept the central leadership’s decission.

KP Maurya’s supporters shouting slogans in Lucknow

Keshav Prasad Maurya’s supporters stage protest in Lucknow, as OBC leader falls behind in race to UP CM

As speculations around Manoj Sinha’s name warmed up and BJP state unit chief bowed out of the race, Maurya’s supporters were apparently miffed. 

As Maurya consolidated key OBC vote for the saffron party and worked tirelessly for the party’s win, their were strong undercurrents supporting his name for the top job in UP. However, the 10 criminal cases filed against him seemed to have got in his way.

As Shah, in a clever political maneuver sidelined Maurya by giving him the responsibility to pick the UP CM, the OBC leader’s supporters couldn’t accept the change in wind as poignantly as their leader did.

Manoj Sinha visits Varanasi temples ahead of key BJP meet, denies being in race to become UP CM

Manoj Sinha once again denied being anywhere in the race to the top job in Uttar Pradesh even as he visited several temple’s in Varanasi, a political hotspot in the state and also arguably the religious capital of the state that gained further prominence for being the Prime Minister’s constituency.

Sinha said, “Na hi mera koi dava hai na hi main kisi race me hu, ye ek poorv nirdharit karyakram tha (I am not staking any claims, neither am I in any race. This (the visit to Varanasi shrines) was a prearranged programmes).”

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader greeted onlookers and supporters as he walked to the Kaal Bhairav temple. After spending some time there, he went to the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple and offered prayers at the sanctum sanctorum. He also visited the Sankatmochan shrine, a Hanumana temple, visiting which is considered lucky for the auspiciou sstart of new things in life.

Yogi Adityanath fuels fresh speculations, flies in to Delhi ahead of BJP MLA meet

As speculations were sizzling, both in New Delhi and Lucknow over Union Minister Manoj Sinha’s name being considered for the chief ministerialship of UP, Yogi Adityanath, the firebrand Gorakhpur MP and another frontrunner in the race, reached Delhi to hold some last minute discussions with Amit Shah.

Speculations keep the picture in Lucknow fuzzy

Speculations run rife ahead of the meeting of newly-elected BJP MLAs as the saffron party was keeping the cards close to its chest. While their were rumours doing rounds that the RSS is pressing in to have its man take over the throne of the Hindi heartland, news agencies including CNN-News18, Times Now, and IANS said that Manoj Sinha’s appointment is a done deal and the announcement is a mere formality. Well, will it, or will it not bring good news for the Ghazipur MP will be clear in a few more hours, stay with us to catch latest updates as the nail-biting suspense reaches its end.

BJP’s legislative party meet to be held at 4pm today

Newly-elected BJP MLAs in Uttar Pradesh will be meeting in Lucknow on Saturday to elect the leader of the state legislature party. The meeting will be held at 4 pm at Lok Bhawan, state BJP spokesperson Manish Dixit said. Central observers — Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav — will remain present at the meeting to elect the chief minister.