From being tagged as a surprise pick in 2017 to becoming the BJP’s obvious choice in 2022, Yogi Adityanath took oath in March 2022 in Lucknow for a second straight term as Chief Minister of UP before a gathering of around 50,000 people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah and Smriti Irani, chief ministers of NDA-ruled states — and former UP Governor Ram Naik, who had administered the oath to Adityanath in 2017. Apart from Adityanath, the oath of office was administered by Governor Anandiben Patel to Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, and 50 Ministers: 16 Cabinet Ministers, 14 Ministers of State (independent charge) and 20 Ministers of State. The year 2022 saw BJP’s return to power in UP with Yogi Adityanath creating a record for forming a majority government for a second consecutive term. But the victory came after a dramatic run-up to the polls that saw many prominent BJP leaders, including minister Swami Prasad Maurya, joining rival SP. While the BJP prevailed, the SP became the single largest opposition party with Mayawati’s BSP winning only 1 seat. In his second term, CM Adityanath is focusing on getting investment for the state and the government has revised as many as 25 sectoral policies for it. The government is also promoting the state as a “religious and cultural centre”. Among the much-talked government decisions in 2022 were removal of loudspeakers for marriage halls and religious places, citing court directions on noise pollution; bulldozing of unauthorised properties of “criminals and mafias”; and a survey to identify “unauthorised madarsas”.