Gorakhpur fared better than UP under Yogi: Mint analysis
BJP has floated its glamorous victory in recent state assembly polls as a fruit of the success of its development agenda. Appointment of Yogi Adityanath, a controversial Hindutva leader was touted as the figure for furthering development in UP. A study conducted by Mint found that Yogi's constituency fares well under many social and economic indicators. Let us explore what Yogi did in Gorakhpur!
Why is this important?
Yogi's appointment as CM raised eyebrows, owing to his reputation as a Hindutva hardliner. Poll analysts pointed to the choice as BJP's big gamble before 2019. While BJP's development narrative has helped its victories, if Yogi fails to deliver on the development front, it can hamper BJP's prospects. BJP's development agenda will come under intense scrutiny ahead of PM Modi's re-election pitch in 2019.
Yogi as a Parliamentarian
According to analysis conducted by PRS Legislative Research, Yogi has outstanding credentials as a Parliamentarian. While his attendance is below average , he has asked 284 questions, exceeding a national average of 180. He has introduced 3 private bills in the 16th Lok Sabha, as opposed to a national average of 1.4. Yogi further scores above average in utilization of MP funds.
The Mint analysis
The analysis evaluating Gorakhpur's performance under various sectors has been done through studying comparative gains in various districts in UP as well as India. In order to accommodate intra-state differences in UP, the analysis also studies asset ownership data from Purvanchal, where Gorakhpur is located.
What did the analysis reveal?
As per 2011 Census data, Gorakhpur fares better than districts in Purvanchal, UP and across India in ownership of household assets such as TV and car. The proportion of households with no assets is also the lowest in Gorakhpur. Gorakhpur also performs well compared to other districts in indicators including sex ratio and energy access, although its female literacy is lower than national average.
Not entirely Yogi's success
Adityanath won the Gorakhpur constituency a total of 5 times since 1998. However, BJP hasn't had more than 40% MLAs in Gorakhpur assembly segments in 2002, 2007 and 2012 assembly elections. Gorakhpur's performance cannot entirely be attributed to Adityanath, although he has helped its case.
What does the analysis point to?
Yogi's go-getter reputation has gone along with his controversial image. The survey reveals Gorakhpur has done well since Adityanath's election, as evidenced by numbers. It remains to be seen if Yogi can replicate that success in UP. While Yogi is a development friendly leader, he has a tough job at hand taking feasible steps to improve the state's abysmal performance in various indicators.
