Lucknow: For the first time in three decades, since 1989 to be precise, Gorakhpur will witness a battle outside the precincts of the famed Gorakhnath temple.
Upendra Shukla, the BJP candidate for the byelections in Gorakhpur, is a non-temple candidate in a seat that has been held by the priests of the Gorakhnath temple — Mahant Avaidyanath since 1989 and Yogi Adityanath since 1998. Earlier, Mahant Digvijaynath had won the seat in 1967.
The Gorakhnath temple which represents the Goraksh Peeth of Thakurs enjoys immense clout in eastern UP politics and it has been an easy win for priests of the temple.
It has been because of the Goraksh Peeth that Thakurs have played a prominent role, often sidelining the Brahmins – a fact that has given a sort of permanence to the Thakur-Brahmin feud in the region.
The fielding of Upendra Shukla in Gorakhpur is seen as an attempt by the BJP to placate Brahmins who have been feeling neglected after Yogi Adityanath became chief minister in March last year. Upendra Shukla has been active in district BJP politics and has held several posts. Though a committed party leader, he does not exactly enjoy a compatible relationship with Yogi Adityanath and is certainly not the person that the chief minister would like to see as his successor on the seat.
Almost everyone in Gorakhpur is aware of the fact that when Upendra Shukla was contesting the Kauriam assembly seat in 1996, Yogi Adityanath had backed a rebel candidate who ensured his defeat in the polls. In this scenario, it would be interesting to see how the battle in the by-election unfolds.
Since Yogi Adityanath’s prestige is now directly linked to Gorakhpur seat, he will have to put the past behind him and support Shukla’s candidature. Whether the Thakurs support the candidate and dilute their rivalry with Brahmins, however, remains to be seen.
