Yogi Adityanath likely to fight bypoll in Gorakhpur

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath could contest a byelection either from the Gorakhpur rural or Gorakhpur urban constituency to enter the state Assembly. However, both the deputy chief ministers — Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya — are not interested in contesting byelections, sources said.

Yogi Adityanath is currently an MP from Gorakhpur. To continue in office, the chief minister and the two deputy CMs will have to enter either House of the state legislature within six months of taking the oath.

Unlike his predecessors — SP’s Akhilesh Yadav and BSP’s Mayawati — the BJP leadership wants Yogi Adityanath to enter the Assembly to send a message that UP’s new chief minister is a “jan neta”.

The BJP won 312 Assembly seats in this politically-crucial state in the recent Assembly elections. Other than the chief minister and his two deputies, two ministers — minority affairs minister Mohsin Raza and transport minister Swatantra Dev Singh — also need to enter either the Assembly or the Council. The BJP now has eight councillors. Sources said these ministers and one of the deputy CMs could be asked to enter the Legislative Council.

While Mr Keshav Prasad Maurya is currently an MP from Phulpur, Mr Dinesh Sharma is Lucknow mayor. Mr Swatantra Dev Singh was general secretary in the party’s state unit while Mr Mohsin Raza, the lone Muslim face in the Yogi Adityanath ministry, joined the BJP ahead of the last general election.