Uttar Pradesh chief minister-elect Yogi Adityanath will be leading a large Holika-Dahan procession in Gorakhpur this evening ahead of his swearing-in ceremony which is likely to be held on Monday. Adityanath will also lead a Bhagwan Narsingh Holikotsav Shobha yatra on Saturday, a day after Holi. The events are being held after a gap of two years after being postponed due to the pandemic. Starting this evening, Adityanath will stay-put in Gorakhpur, his erstwhile Lok Sabha, and current assembly constituency, for three days.
As per tradition, the head of the Goraksh Peeth rides atop the Bhagwan Narshingh Rath every year and exchanges Holi wishes with everyone. Since Yogi Adityanath is the head of the Peeth after Mahant Digvijaynath and Mahant Avaidyanath, he is carrying forward the tradition. The procession is attended by a large number of BJP and RSS workers and covers a distance of 5 kilometre before culminating at the temple.
Meanwhile, preparations regarding festivities and security arrangements are underway at the Gorakhnath Temple as Adityanath will also be visiting the temple tomorrow on the occasion of Holi.
Earlier, Yogi Adityanath had held deliberations with BJP president J P Nadda as a part of the exercise to firm up the outlines of the new government following the party’s thumping win in the recent assembly polls. The BJP leaders are grappling with the question of whether former Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya could be accommodated in Yogi Adityanath’s new cabinet. Maurya had lost his Sirathu seat in the recently held elections.
The BJP is still undecided about whether there will be a post of deputy chief minister in Uttar Pradesh and if Maurya can be reinstated to his old position despite the loss. If the party decides to continue with Maurya, it may use the legislative council route to bring him to the assembly. Former Samajwadi Party leader Aparna Yadav may also become an MLC and find a place in the Yogi cabinet. However, no official announcement has been made regarding the move yet.