Yogi’s 2027 bet: Faith, welfare and a ‘shining UP’

Mathura, Uttar Pradesh is set to witness the BJP's victory in the 2027 assembly polls, according to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The party's double-engine government will showcase a "shining UP" where faith translates into economic prosperity, Adityanath believes. The beneficiaries of his government's welfare and development programs will vote for the BJP again, he stated.

Adityanath highlighted the religious and cultural heritage of Uttar Pradesh as a source of potential for tourism and economic activity, citing the Braj region with 11 crore devotees and tourists visiting in 2025 alone. He emphasized the importance of seeing possibilities in challenges and turning them into solutions, establishing new benchmarks of success.

The current government has reinstated the Kanwar Yatra and ensured the celebration of Krishna Janmashtami in police stations, jails, and other public places. Around 5 crore Kanwariyas participated in this year's Kanwar Yatra, with no untoward incidents reported, Adityanath claimed. The government has also made Uttar Pradesh investment-friendly, with online facilities for investment, skilling, and employment, and employment provided to 9.5 lakh youths.

Adityanath criticized the previous Samajwadi Party government for failing to understand people's sentiments, prohibiting Krishna Janmashtami celebrations in police stations and jails before 2017, and stopping the Kanwar Yatra. He also accused them of not curbing paper leaks in recruitment examinations and giving precedence to fatwas over wisdom, prioritizing one family's interests over Indian heritage. Adityanath asserts that Uttar Pradesh has emerged from this, emerging as a more stable and prosperous state.