Gorakhpur Emerges as U.P.'s New Power Centre: BJP’s Strategy to Balance Opposing Poles

There was a time when Saifai in Etawah district was widely regarded as the power centre of Uttar Pradesh politics. When BJP stormed to power, it became certain that this power centre would shift. What few anticipated, however, was that Gorakhpur would rise with such overwhelming political clout. Whether this transformation is a matter of coincidence or carefully calibrated strategy, one thing is clear: as Gorakhpur’s influence grew, political leaders, who were not known to share comfortable equations with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath began to witness a remarkable rise in fortunes.

The first major example was Dr. Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, a former MLA from Gorakhpur city. Not only was he elevated to the Rajya Sabha, but he was also appointed General Secretary in the BJP’s central organisation, entrusted with charge of several states. Ironically, there was a time when Yogi Adityanath himself fielded Dr. Agarwal under the banner of the Hindu Mahasabha to defeat BJP candidate Shiv Pratap Shukla in the Gorakhpur Sadar Assembly seat. That political gamble paid off and Dr. Agarwal won the election, while Shiv Pratap Shukla’s political career appeared to be nearing its end.

This episode dates back to 2002, when Yogi Adityanath had just been elected as a BJP MP for the first time. His relationship with BJP MLA Shiv Pratap Shukla was far from cordial, prompting him to engineer Shukla’s defeat. Subsequently, Dr. Radha Mohan Das Agarwal went on to win multiple Assembly elections on a BJP ticket. Over time, however, his relationship with Yogi Adityanath too reportedly deteriorated. In a parallel move, the Modi government later sent Shiv Pratap Shukla to the Rajya Sabha, appointed him Minister of State for Finance, and after the completion of his term, moved him out of active electoral politics by appointing him Governor of Himachal Pradesh.

A similar trajectory can be seen in the case of Bansgaon MP Kamlesh Paswan. A three-time Member of Parliament, Kamlesh Paswan comes from a deeply rooted political family. Before his hat-trick of victories, his mother had represented the same seat as an MP on a Samajwadi Party ticket. His brother Vimlesh Paswan is a MLA from Bansgaon, and his father Om Prakash Paswan was also a legislator. Political circles in Gorakhpur have long discussed that Yogi Adityanath did not share particularly warm relations with Kamlesh Paswan’s father. Yet today, Kamlesh Paswan serves as Minister of State for Rural Development in the Union government.

Now, with selection of Pankaj Chaudhary as the new BJP state president in Uttar Pradesh, discussions about Gorakhpur’s expanding political dominance have grown louder. Pankaj Chaudhary is a seven-time Member of Parliament, a leader who does not require the Chief Minister’s rallies or backing to secure electoral victories. His visits to the Gorakhnath Temple have also not been particularly frequent. Against this backdrop, his ascent to the state presidency raises several intriguing questions.

Many observers believe that the BJP is deliberately attempting to balance opposing poles within its power structure. Others are dazzled and puzzled by the scale of authority being concentrated in Gorakhpur. Some BJP leaders quietly question as to why other regions of the state appear to be sidelined. Yet those asking such questions would do well to remember one enduring reality: the BJP’s leadership in Delhi operates with finely tuned political formulas, deploying power and position with calculated precision to secure long-term dominance.