Reasons why Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister is a BJP masterstroke

Issues such as corruption, law and order and women's safety will be handled well by Yogi Adityanath. He is the right candidate and one who can handle every kind of challenge in UP, said Uma Bharti.

Ending days of uncertainty, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday announced that Yogi Adityanath would be the next Uttar Pradesh chief minister. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place in Lucknow around 5 pm on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modiand BJP chief Amit Shah among other senior party leaders are expected to be present on the occasion.

The five-time Gorakhpur MP was picked ahead of the other two front-runners for the top post - UP BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya and Union Minister Manoj Sinha. Adityanath will have two deputy chief ministers in Maurya and BJP legislator Dinesh Sharma.

Union Minister Uma Bharti has welcomed Adityanath's elevation. She said, "I am very happy with this decision. Issues such as corruption, law and order and women's safety will be handled well by Yogi Adityanath. He is the right candidate and one who can handle every kind of challenge in UP."

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said, "I congratulate Yogi Adityanath, hope under him Uttar Pradesh will reach new heights of development."

7 REASONS WHY CHOOSING ADITYANATH MAY HELP BJP GAIN A STRONGER FOOTHOLD

1. POLITICAL NARRATIVE: A part of the pre-election narrative that has helped the BJP in the elections will continue as the opposition will link Yogi's appointment with BJP not giving any ticket to Muslims.
2. RELIGION vs CASTE: Religion helped BJP create a larger vote bank than the caste vote banks already present in the state. To keep the edge that BJP has gained in these elections, Yogi may keep religion at the forefront.
3. YOGI vs SURNAME: As Ajay Singh, he's immediately recognised as a Thakur, as Yogi the caste goes in the background.
4. DEPUTIES TO BALANCE: The two deputy chief ministers will enable the BJP to talk differently with different stakeholders - development when needed, religion when needed.
5. RISK OF AMBITION: Adityanath's earlier rejection of different roles at the Centre showed his determination for the CM's chair. Disappointing Adityanath may have been risky for BJP.
6. CADRE vs LEADERS: A vocal and dedicated cadre support could have forced the BJP's hand much like Modi's anointment as PM candidate in 2014.
7. EXPERIMENTS ARE FOR LABS: The road to Delhi goes via Lucknow. What better way to experiment Hindutva in the run-up to the 2019 general elections than in India's largest state. If it works for Uttar Pradesh, the BJP will definitely be looking to make it work across India.
8. Ref: Indiatoday.intoday.in
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