Mahant Yogi Adityanath is Chief Minister designate of Uttar Pradesh 5th time Member of

Parliament from Gorakhpur Constituency, Uttar Pradesh. He is a Bharatiya Janata Party Member of

Parliament who has represented Gorakhpur in the Lok Sabha.

Mahant Yogi Adityanath (born Ajay Singh Negi; 5 June 1972) is Chief Minister

designate of Uttar Pradesh and 5th time Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur

Constituency, Uttar Pradesh. He is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of

Parliament who has represented Gorakhpur in the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian

Parliament) since 1998. Adityanath is the Mahant or head priest of the Gorakhnath Mutt,

a Hindu temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of his spiritual "father," Mahant

Avaidyanath in September 2014. He is also the founder of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a

social, cultural and nationalist group of youth who seek to provide rightist Hindu

platform. Yogi Adityanath comes from a Garhwali Rajput family. He completed his

Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal),

Uttarakhand.

Political career

Adityanath was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at 26. He has been

elected as an MP from Gorakhpur to the Lok Sabha in the 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and

2014 elections. He is the successor to former Hindu Mahasabha president Mahant

Avaidyanath at the Gorakhnath temple. He holds a B.Sc. from the H.N.B. Garhwal

University in Srinagar, Uttarakhand.

Mahant of Gorakhnath Temple

Currently he is Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple, following the death of Mahant

Aavaidyanath on 12th Sept 2014. Yogi Adityanath was made Peethadhishwar of

Gorakhnath Temple amid traditional rituals of the Nath sect on 14th Sept 2014.

Political controversies:

Conversion: In 2005, Adityanath allegedly led a purification drive which involved the

conversion of Christians to Hinduism. In one such instance, 1,800 Christians were

reportedly converted to Hinduism in the town of Etah in Uttar Pradesh.

Riots and Arrest

In January 2007, an altercation occurred amidst a Hindu group and Muslims during a

Muharram procession in Gorakhpur which led to the hospitalisation of a young Hindu,

Raj Kumar Agrahari. The District Magistrate made it clear that Adityanath should not

visit the site as it may inflame tensions. He initially agreed but after Agrahari died, he

disobeyed the magistrate and travelled to the site with a group of his followers.

Adityanath started a non-violent dharna on the site. However inflammatory speeches

were made and some of his followers set fire to a nearby mazar (Muslim mausoleum).

A curfew was implemented by the local police, but Adityanath broke it and was

subsequently jailed under Section 151A, Sections 146, 147, 279, 506 of the Indian

Penal Code. He was arrested and remanded for a fortnight, on charges of disturbing

peace. His arrest led to further unrest and several coaches of the Mumbai bound

Mumbai-Gorakhpur Godan Express were burnt, allegedly by protesting Hindu Yuva

Vahini activists. The day after the arrest, the District Magistrate along with the local

police chief, were transferred and replaced. This was "widely perceived" as a result of

"Adityanath's clout" with the Uttar Pradesh government of Mulayam Singh Yadav. The

tensions soon escalated to riots across Gorakhpur leading to the burning of mosques,

homes, buses and trains. After his release, Adityanath protested his jailing in the

Parliament.

Documentary

In March 2011, the documentary film Saffron War - Radicalization of Hinduism accused

Adityanath of promoting communal disharmony through a Virat Hindustan rally in rural

Uttar Pradesh. In August 2014, aspiring Congress Party "spokesman" Shehzaad

Poonawala wrote to the National Commission for Minorities demanding that a police

First Information Report be filed against Yogi Adityanath.

Yoga: In June 9, 2015, Yogi Adityanath declared that those who oppose Surya

Namaskara, part of Yoga, can leave India. He stated - My humble request to those who

see communalism in even Sun God would be to drown themselves in the sea or live in a

dark room for the rest of their lives.

Shah Rukh Khan

During the intolerance debate in the media, Adityanath compared Bollywood superstar

Shah Rukh Khan to Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed. He said, “Shah Rukh Khan should

remember that majority population of the Country made him the Star, and if they boycot

his films, he will also have to wander on streets. It is unfortunate SRK is speaking the

same language that of Hafiz Saeed."

Relations with the BJP: Adityanath has had a strained relation with the BJP for more

than a decade. With the emergence of a separate powerbase in Eastern Uttar Pradesh,

he has been seeking greater power, causing further conflicts.

On 22–24 Dec. 2006, Adityanath organised a 3 day Virat Hindu Mahasammelan at

Gorakhpur when the BJP was holding its National Executive Meet in Lucknow. In March

2010, Adityanath was one of several BJP MPs who stated defiance to the party whip on

the Women's Reservation Bill.

LUCKNOW: March 18, 2017. Ending a long speculation, firebrand BJP Gorakhpur MP

Yogi Adityanath has been elected leader of the BJP Legislature Party and thus,

becomes the 32nd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. The name of Yogi was proposed by

UP BJP President Keshav Prasad Maurya and supported by almost all 312 MLAs. The

meeting started late, at around 1730 hrs after Yogi reached the venue, along with other

senior leaders.

The BJP MLAs raised slogans in support of Yogi. Besides, BJP vice-president and

Lucknow Mayor Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya have been chosen as the

Deputy to Yogi.