In Grand ceremony at Bharat Ratna Atal Behari Vajpayee Ekana international Cricket Stadium, Yogiraj Returns to U.P.

Lucknow: For U.P., the return of Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister was nothing short of a grand spectacle. The city was decked up and every nook and corner of the city shined, as a grand swearing in ceremony played out at the Atal Behari Vajpayee Ekana International Cricket Stadium.

Now in power, BJP that won Uttar Pradesh assembly elections with a thumping majority has become the only party to retain power in the state in 37 years.  A list of 70 candidates has been prepared and 52 ministers took oath. The oath was administered by Governor Anandiben Patel.  The new government has 2 Deputy CMs, 16 ministers and 14 MoS ( Independent Charge), 20 MoS. The entire show was managed by Chief Secretary, Government of U.P., IAS Durga Shankar Mishra.

The names of those sworn in include Keshav Prasad Mauya, Brajesh Pathak, as deputy CM, Among the big names taking oath are Surya Pratap Shahi, Suresh Kumar Khanna, Swatantra Dev Singh, Baby Rani Maurya, Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, Dharampal Singh, Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi, Bhupendra  Singh Choudhary, Anil Rajbhar, Jitin Prasada, Rakesk Sachan, Arvind Kumar Sharma, Sanjay Nishad among others.

Prominent names for Minister  of State (Independent Charge) includes names like Nitin Agrawal, Kapil Dev Agrawal, Ravindra Jaiswal, Sandeep Singh, Gulab Devi, Asim Arun, JPS Rathore, Dayashankar Singh among others.

On the list for Minister of State include Mayankeshwar Singh, Dinesh Khateek, Sanjeev Gond, Baldev Singh Olakh, Ajit Pal, Jaswant Saini, Brijesh Singh, Danish Azad Ansari among others.

Ready for the Next Big 5

The next five years will be no less challenging for the Yogi, who has completed his successful tenure battling the horrific challenge of the Corona pandemic. The challenge will be to turn the tide against the critics.  From tribal welfare to industrial development and strong law and order, the burden of expectations is sure to increase on the shoulders of Yogi, who has won the trust of the people. After winning the assembly elections in 2017, the BJP handed over the power of the state in the hands of Yogi Adityanath. From the very early decisions he had indicated that the marginalized sections would be the priority of his governance.

Speaking at a media conclave months before the elections, Yogi had spoken at length about what made his government different. He not only expressed confidence in winning the U.P. election hands down, he said that his party had already prepared roadmap for the next five years and claimed that people have appreciated the style of function of BJP government.

He said the government provided four lakh jobs in the last four years. He underscored that the per capita income of the state has also doubled. He has encouraged investment in Uttar Pradesh, by projecting it as the best place to put in money. In Yogi’s own words the proposed film city will be the best in the country and will be made through PPP model.

City gets a green touch

The preparations for the Yogi swearing-in in Lucknow started days back. More than 150 vertical gardens and more than 5,000 flower pots were planted on Shaheed Path and its service lane. The entire city was decorated and a spectacular sight was on display on March 25 when Yogi Adityanath took oath for a second term in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and other dignitaries. The 16-km stretch of Shaheed Path from the airport to the stadium was prepared on a war footing.

Roads were repaired, grills painted, trees cut and graffiti and propaganda messages removed. Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, Rajnish Dubey said that all the street lights are on and equipped with coloured LED strips keeping in view the movement of VIPs.

A team of Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) officials inspected all street lights on the road parallel to the river Gomti and connecting Shaheed Path to Janeshwar Mishra Park in Gomti Nagar. To ensure solid waste management, the stadium was divided into 10 zones, each headed by a senior official.

Ekana Buzz

Around 27,000 chairs were set up on the ground, while the stands had a seating capacity of 50,000 spectators. Apart from 80 toilets, the LMC also installed 27 mobile toilets in the stadium complex, out of which 16 were reserved for VIPs and state guests. Apart from deploying 400 sanitation workers in the stadium, the corporation also installed dustbins.

The event which saw VVIP guests along with Yogi Adityanath, PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister  Amit Shah, JP Nadda and Defense minister Rajnath Singh besides Chief Ministers of 12 states including Pushkar Singh Dhami saw a team of cabinet ministers take oath. Along with social equations, performance was the basis of selection, coordination of youth and experience was also a factor.

Opposition was also invited to witness the swearing-in, Mayawati, Mulayam and Akhilesh were called by Yogi himself and invited to come to the ceremony.

Arrangements for seating and food for 90 thousand people coming to the swearing-in ceremony was ensured, LEDs were installed at four places including district headquarters.

Fireworks light up sky

After the swearing-in, the sky was illuminated with fireworks. The display started at 7 pm, the city was lit up with eco-friendly firecrackers for an hour.

Tight security and traffic diversions were in place. Shaheed Path remained locked from 6 am to 9 pm, entry of heavy vehicles was restricted in the district border, which was allowed later in the night.

Communal Amity

The Muslim people of Gorakhpur celebrated the swearing-in of CM by lighting a lamp and candle. There was a special worship at Shri Krishna’s birthplace when Gorakshpeethadhishwar Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Another highlight is when Yogi took oath for the second time in Lucknow, then the saints of Vrindavan, Dharmacharya were also witness.

Apart from saints, religious leaders, workers up to the booth level were invited. But, before leaving for Lucknow, the workers were entrusted with the responsibility of offering prayers in temples for two hours in the morning and ringing bells. In Braj province, along with 16 saints, about three dozen Bhagvatacharyas are invited through Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

BJP team and the people of Gorakhpur celebrated the moment with equal aplomb. Conch shells resonated in 430 temples. In 70 wards of the city, and at block level in rural areas, big TV screens were playing the ceremony live everywhere, so that those who stay can watch this historic moment from where they are.