UP assembly poll results: CM Adityanath breaks two jinxes that scared many politicians for years

With the Bharatiya Janata Party securing a second term in India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, the saffron party broke two political superstitions that dreaded many chief ministers for the past 35 years.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who got around 1,50,000 votes from Gorakhpur (Urban) constituency, ran a high-decibel campaign and defied anti-incumbency predictions amid a devastating Covid pandemic and the farmer protests.

However, his win not only reposed people’s faith in his policies and style of functioning, but it also broke a 35-year-old political superstition that haunted my politicians in the past.

The ‘Noida jinx’

A myth had gained currency among the political circles that any sitting chief minister who visits Noida city in Gautam Budh Nagar district would lose power.

The jinx started with the ouster of then chief minister Vir Bahadur Singh who was forced to resign in 1988, only a few days after he visited Noida.

His successor Narayan Dutt Tiwari also lost power in the 1989 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. He visited Noida as chief minister.

Then in 2012, former CM Mayawati lost power after she visited Noida in 2011 to attend an event, ignoring the jinx.

Akhilesh Yadav later assumed power, but he never went to Noida even once during his tenure.

PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath, however, visited Noida to inaugurate Delhi Metro's Magenta Line on December 25, 2017.

Speaking on the occasion, PM Modi scoffed at the Noida jinx saying, “Yogi Adityanath deserves adulation for dismissing superstition that a chief minister should not visit Noida.”

No party ever retained power for two consecutive terms

Another superstition associated with UP is that no political party has ever retained power for two consecutive terms.

However, this superstition was busted on Thursday, and for the first time in 36 years, the chief minister of the ruling party is getting re-elected for the second consecutive term.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has won 158 seats and is leading in 96 more constituencies. The main opposition party, Samajwadi Party, is at a distant second securing 61 seats and leading in 51 constituencies.