In Gorakhpur, ‘Yogi Baba’ steers Ravi Kishan’s rocky boat as SP’s Kajal Nishad rides on core base

The Gorakhpur battle is essentially between “Yogi Baba”, as Adityanath is popularly known in the region, and the INDIA alliance. Many voters across the constituency, in rural as well urban areas, are vocal about their choice, appearing divided over it. While a large section of the Gorakhpur people is strongly backing the BJP in Yogi’s name, hoping that the backward belt would see development in the coming years, another section is rallying behind the SP’s nominee, rooting for INDIA’s victory. Both sides also appear to be split along the caste lines, barring the Nishad community (OBC) which dominates Gorakhpur as it accounts for nearly one-fourth of its population.

Yogi Adityanath and Ravi Kishan addressing a rally in Gorakhpur on Sunday.

The Nishad voters had played a key role in causing an upset in the 2018 Gorakhpur by-election when the then SP candidate Praveen Nishad had defeated the BJP’s Upendra Shukla by 21,801 votes. The bypoll was necessitated as the then MP Adityanath vacated the seat after taking oath as the CM for his first term in 2017.

His spiritual guru Mahant Avaidyanath won from Gorakhpur three times on the tickets of the Hindu Mahasabha as well as the BJP since 1989. Adityanath has won the seat for five consecutive times since 1998.

The BJP camp’s worry mainly stems from the perception that Kajal Nishad is largely getting the support of her community, even though she had lost the Assembly elections in 2012 and 2022 from Campiarganj on the Congress and SP tickets respectively, and also the 2023 Gorakhpur mayoral poll as the SP nominee.

Source: Election Commission of India 

Ravi Kishan seems to be facing resentment among many local residents who say he was not seen in the constituency for five years except attending some programmes held by Adityanath in Gorakhpur city.

In his campaign, Ravi Kishan has himself been saying in all his public meetings that he is a follower of “Maharaj ji (Adityanath)” and that it is not him but “Yogi Baba” who is in the fray.

The Gorakhnath Temple runs at least 45 educational institutions besides a major hospital on its campus. Adityanath’s position as its head priest boosts his influence. This cuts across rural and urban pockets among a slew of communities including upper castes like Brahmins, Thakurs, Bhumihars and Baniyas; the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) such as Kurmis, Sainthwar, Rajbhar and Koiris; and the Scheduled Caste (SC) groups like Paswans and Dhobis. A section of them say they support Yogi to “strengthen his position in the ruling party” to enable him to “ensure more development for Gorakhpur”.

The Adityanath factor was evident even at a recent INDIA rally in Gorakhpur held by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, where they largely refrained from going after him.

The villages inhabited by Nishads, Yadavs, Kurmis and Paswans are located across large swathes running from Lahsari Bandha (embankment) along Rapti river, about 20 kilometres from Gorakhpur city.

In Sanha village, comprising nearly 100 per cent pucca houses, a majority of male residents have migrated for work to other states like Hyderabad (Telangana), Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai (Maharashtra), Gujarat and Delhi. Most of them have returned to the village to cast their votes.

On a hot day last week, a group of four friends, two each belonging to the Paswan and the Nishad communities, are chatting in a village corner. Their loyalties are split between the two leading candidates.

Akash Paswan, 27, has been working as a carpenter in Hyderabad along with his father and other relatives for over five years. On their migration, Akash says, “We would start returning after some time because Gorakhpur is developing fast and industries are coming up. We would all get jobs here.”

On their voting preference, Akash and Guddu Paswan say, “We should vote for Yogi ji who is behind bringing development here. We would strengthen Yogi Baba in the BJP by ensuring victory of its candidate.”

Guddu adds that it would be a “waste” of their votes if they back Kajal as “she is not going to win anyways”.

Differing with them, their friend Sonu Nishad says, “We will support Kajal Nishad. All vote for candidates from their castes, so why we should vote for others.”

In another Nishad-dominated village Banchhariya, group of people are resting at a roadside temple. They say, “Ravi Kishan does not deserve to win, but he is fortunate to have Yogi Baba on his side who would ensure his victory.” A few elderly among them say, “Kajal Nishad is no different from Ravi Kishan. She is eyeing our votes just because she belongs to the same community.”

A few kms away, a crowd of people from various communities is watching a cricket match being played between two local teams in a sprawling field. Some of them, belonging to upper castes, are angry with Ravi Kishan for being “missing” from the seat after winning it in 2019, when he defeated the SP’s Rambhual Nishad by over three lakh votes. They however say they will again back the BJP as they have “faith in Yogi”.

Several Yadav villagers in the crowd say they would vote for Kajal along with Muslims and Nishads. These communities would be the core support base for the SP’s candidate. They also hope that the INDIA alliance would be able to form its government at the Centre. Such sentiments were expressed by many Yadavs and Muslims across Gorakhpur.

Near the Gorakhnath temple, a shopkeeper Abdul Majeed expresses happiness over the pace of development in the city as well as the point that the temple has been attracting tourists from outside UP as well. He says the INDIA candidate would get the minority community’s support.

According to an estimate, the constituency’s 21 lakh voters include 5.50 lakh Nishads, 2.25 lakh Yadavs, 2 lakh Muslims, 2 lakh Dalits, 3 lakh Brahmins and Thakurs, and one lakh Bhumihars and Baniyas.

The Sanjay Nishad-led NISHAD party is a BJP ally based in the Gorakhpur region, but it is facing “anti-incumbency”, mainly over “nepotism” among other charges. While Sanjay Nishad is an MLC and state minister, his son Sharavan is an MLA. His another son Praveen is a sitting MP, contesting again from the neighbouring Sant Kabir Nagar seat on the BJP ticket. So, this has also given Kajal an edge in her bid to consolidate the Nishad votes.