Yogi Adityanath's Challenges

Hindutva posterboy Yogi Adityanath has emerged as a star chief minister. But, with power comes great responsibilty.

- Ajay Uprety

Some people have already billed him as the “next Modi”. An ironclad disciplinarian, chronic bachelor, hindutva hard liner, fiery orator, mass magnet, strict vegetarian, yoga exponent... and now chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Yogi Adityanath has arrived.

The five-time saffron-clad MP from Gorakhpur has little administrative experience, other than heading the Gorakhnath temple. Yet, the BJP chose him to lead Uttar Pradesh, clearly with eyes on the 2019 general elections.

Yogi, whose real name is Ajay Singh Bisht, was born in Uttarakhand on June 5, 1972. He has represented Gorakhpur since 1998, when he became the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha, at 26.

Like Modi, Adityanath’s day starts early. He wakes up at 3am and practises yoga before his morning rituals. He is a nature lover, who adores animals. His pets include a dog, a cat, deer and monkeys. His darling, however, is the dog, Kallu, with whom he spends his leisure breaks. The cow shelter near the temple has about 500 cows, and Adityanath has his breakfast only after feeding them and the fish in the pond on the temple premises.

Adityanath, described by some people as a “green saint”, is also credited with raising a green lung around the temple. He has planted and cared for numerous trees and medicinal plants in the area.

Known for simple living, Adityanath has frugal food such as rotis, boiled pulses and vegetables, papaya and butter milk. Every morning, he spends two hours sorting out problems of people in the region—a practice he has maintained for two decades.