BJP units in MP and Rajasthan seek Yogi Adityanath as star campaigner

The BJP‘s units in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are keen for Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, to campaign in their states in the upcoming assembly elections, with the aim of consolidating Hindu votes, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Demand for Adityanath

Adityanath, who became UP Chief Minister last March and heads the Gorakhnath mutt, campaigned in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh in 2017 and in Karnataka in 2018. Madhya Pradesh BJP leader Rajneesh Agarwal said the central leadership would decide his schedule, but the state unit hoped he would come because of his influence there.

Mukesh Pareek, a spokesperson for the Rajasthan BJP, said Adityanath was in demand because he was a good speaker and a religious leader whose personality drew people. Another senior leader said the Nath tradition, which Adityanath heads, has been influential in the Marwar area and Alwar since the ninth century. Party functionaries indicated he might visit Rajasthan in the first week of November.

Already on the trail

Adityanath has already campaigned in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, where on Tuesday he gave a speech once Chief Minister Raman Singh had submitted his nomination papers. Drawing on the Ramayana, he urged voters to give the BJP a fourth consecutive term, and Singh touched his feet to seek his blessings. His adviser Mrityunjay Kumar said his programme was still being worked out but that he would certainly be among the star campaigners in the poll-bound states.

Polling dates: Rajasthan on December 7, Madhya Pradesh on November 28, and Chhattisgarh in two rounds on November 12 and 20.

Congress reaction

The Congress, which is in opposition in each of the three states, said Adityanath’s campaigning relied on communal polarisation. Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Bhupendra Gupta alleged the BJP was using him to communalise the atmosphere, especially in border areas, and referred to the deaths of babies at a Gorakhpur hospital last year.

What happened next

Congress formed governments in all three states: Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh (Congress 114, BJP 109), Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan (Congress 99, BJP 73) and Bhupesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh (Congress 68, BJP 15).

Originally published on 26 October 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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