Uma Bharti and Yogi Adityanath lead BJP’s saffron push in Madhya Pradesh campaign

The BJP turned to two saffron-clad leaders to energise its Madhya Pradesh campaign ahead of the November 28 assembly election. Former Chief Minister Uma Bharti returned to active campaigning in the state after a long gap, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made his first campaign appearance there. The party scheduled more than 60 rallies for the pair.

Uma Bharti back on the trail

Bharti had kept a low profile during the 2008 and 2013 state elections, but this time stepped up at the party’s request. A helicopter was kept on standby for her in Tikamgarh. A senior party leader said she was holding three to four rallies a day and putting in as much effort as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. On Wednesday she held four rallies, including in the constituencies of ministers Narottam Mishra and Bhupendra Singh.

Adityanath’s message

Adityanath had addressed close to 25 rallies in the state, having campaigned there for two days. Party functionaries said his slogan, which roughly says those not with Lord Ram are of no use to the party, had caught on with crowds.

A BJP leader noted that both leaders come from Uttar Pradesh, have links to the Ram Mandir movement and were raising the temple issue in their speeches. He described Madhya Pradesh as a laboratory for Hindutva and said the Congress, too, was reaching out to Hindu voters.

In his speeches Adityanath blamed the Congress for terrorism and corruption. He also defended renaming Faizabad as Ayodhya and Allahabad as Prayagraj, saying it was done in the national and public interest and to uphold Vedic traditions.

What happened next

The Congress won 114 seats to the BJP’s 109 in Madhya Pradesh, and Kamal Nath became Chief Minister.

Originally published on 22 November 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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