Will the BJP Win Yogi’s Bastion? People of Gorakhpur Speak

In UP’s Gorakhpur, while some aren’t happy with the BJP fielding Ravi Kishan, others just want to see PM Modi back.

People of Gorakhpur talk LS polls 2019.

(Photo: The Quint) 

The Quint’s election chaupal reached Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, a seat where all eyes are fixed for the last phase of the elections. Why? Because in 2014, this is the seat from which Yogi Adityanath had won. After becoming the chief minister, he had to give up this seat.

Despite being considered Yogi Adityanath’s bastion, the BJP lost to the SP-BSP alliance in the 2018 by-polls.

During the course of the chaupal, while analysing the mood of the citizens, we also tried to understand whether the people of Gorakhpur think the BJP is coming to power or not. The BJP has fielded famous Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan.

Rahul Rai says that it doesn’t matter that the BJP lost here in the 2018 by-polls, because in 2019, BJP will win, as the people don’t care about the candidate here. They just want to see PM Modi come back to power.

But Gorakhpur University professor Pramod Shukla says that the people aren’t happy that the BJP fielded Ravi Kishan as a candidate. He called Ravi Kishan an outside candidate and also explained that had the BJP fielded a candidate who is from Gorakhpur or someone who appeals to the masses here, it would have been better.

Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh goes to polls on 19 May. Lok Sabha elections results will be declared on 23 May.