Even as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are well past the halfway mark, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has addressed more than 155 rallies and road shows pan India over the past eight weeks.
The total count of 155+ rallies by the CM includes about 120 public meetings, two dozen roadshows etc in UP and other states.
Of the 155 election campaign programmes, Yogi addressed more than 130 rallies and public meetings in UP, while the remaining were accounted for by electioneering in other states and union territories.
On an average Adityanath addressed three rallies a day since the poll bugle was sounded after the Election Commission of India (ECI) laid out the grueling 7-phase nomination and polling schedule on March 16, 2024.
Yogi, who is among the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) most sought after pan India star campaigners after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, started his Lok Sabha electioneering campaign by addressing a ‘Prabuddha Sammelan’ (intellectual conference) in Mathura on March 27.
According to BJP sources, the UP CM achieved the 50-rally mark by mid-April, while the 100-rally mark was logged in a total of 41 days when he addressed a rally in Unnao on May 6.
“He also participated in the big ticket nomination roadshows of Modi in Varanasi and defence minister Rajnath Singh in Lucknow earlier this month,” a party leader said.
On Sunday, Yogi addressed a record number of six rallies in Eastern UP districts of Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Phulpur and Prayagraj in support of the party candidates.
While the bulk of the electioneering by Adityanath occurred in UP, he has addressed scores of rallies, roadshows and public meetings in other states and union territories including Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, Chandigarh etc.
In other states, he addressed public meetings in Udhampur (J&K); Tehri Garhwal, Haridwar (Uttarakhand); Wardha, Bhandara, Nagpur (Maharashtra); Bharatpur, Dausa, Sikar (Rajasthan); Aurangabad, Nawada (Bihar) etc.
Following the popularity of Adityanath among the party cadres and supporters, especially in North India, the Punjab unit of the BJP recently urged Adityanath to address rallies.
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar wrote that the UP CM was much admired in Punjab owing to his able administration, work culture and achievements. He requested Adityanath to address three rallies in Batala (Gurdaspur), Jalandhar and Ludhiana to boost the party’s election campaign.
Moreover, similar requests have also come from other states and the party functionaries are trying to accommodate such pleas along with the already packed electioneering timetable of the CM since two more phases of polling on May 25 and June 1 are still left.
On Monday, Adityanath addressed a rally in Chandigarh where he attacked the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the alleged deteriorating law and order, and the free run given to the mafias in the state of Punjab.