In the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, there is a intense rivalry between the Mahayuti alliance (consisting of BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar) and Maha Vikas Aghadi (including Congress, NCP led by Sharad Pawar, and Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray) for government formation. Prior to the commencement of the assembly elections campaign, debates have increased regarding a poster featuring Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Banners showcasing Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have been displayed in Andheri East, Bandra, and on Western Express Highway in Mumbai. The posters say that we will be harmed if we split up. Vishwabandhu Rai, a BJP leader in Maharashtra, is the person responsible for putting up the posters.
It is important to remember that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has urged Hindus to come together in recent months. During a public meeting in Agra in August, he proclaimed – If we separate, we will be isolated. He delivered this catchphrase in response to reports of religious persecution against the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Yogi Adityanath stated that by staying united, we will stay virtuous, secure, and achieve great success. This catchphrase coined by Yogi Adityanath gained significant traction on social media, sparking numerous discussions on television channels.
Following the ousting of ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration in Bangladesh and her removal from the nation, there were emerging accounts of mistreatment of Hindus. During that time, Yogi Adityanath urged for safeguarding Hindus in the neighboring nation and emphasized our responsibility to support and protect the Hindus of Bangladesh.
The morale of the party workers was affected by BJP’s underwhelming performance in Uttar Pradesh during the Lok Sabha election results, as it did not secure the expected number of seats nationwide. However, the party leaders have regained momentum following their victory in the Haryana assembly elections. Yogi Adityanath spoke at various BJP election rallies in multiple locations in Haryana. Currently, the upcoming major conflict is happening in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. In Maharashtra, the BJP and its partners are making efforts to regain power, while in Jharkhand they are struggling to create a government.
In addition to these states, nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh will also be holding by-elections. The by-elections in UP are being led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself. Reports indicate that Yogi Adityanath will support party candidates on all nine assembly seats, with the entire Uttar Pradesh government and organization showing their support for the Chief Minister during this period.
Yogi Adityanath’s phrase ‘If we split, we will be separated’ is seen as a component of the assertive Hindutva agenda. The Yogi Adityanath government mandated all hotels, dhabas, and food vendors along the Kanwar Yatra route to put up name plates this year. There was a huge reaction to this.
In 2017, Yogi Adityanath was chosen by the party leadership to lead Uttar Pradesh, India’s biggest state, over Keshav Prasad Maurya. Starting in 2017, Yogi Adityanath has been traveling outside of Uttar Pradesh to conduct election rallies supporting BJP candidates in different states holding elections. Yogi Adityanath is well-known as a Hindu leader, yet the BJP claims that Uttar Pradesh’s security system has greatly improved and development has occurred under his leadership. Thus, he represents progress and effective leadership.
In recent years, Yogi Adityanath has been chosen by the party to speak at election rallies in several states such as Hyderabad, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh, drawing large crowds of people.
In this scenario, with a major election showdown looming in Maharashtra, the ‘Bantenge toh katenge’ slogan on Yogi Adityanath’s poster indicates that the BJP and its followers are anticipating backing from Hindu voters through Yogi Adityanath. Yogi Adityanath is expected to conduct numerous election rallies for the BJP in the Maharashtra assembly elections, in addition to the by-elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Back in August, Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, referred to the MVA opposition alliance as the Aurangzeb Fan Club during the launch of the Mahayuti election campaign in Mumbai. Shah had stated that Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), was the head of the Aurangzeb Fan Club.
Amit Shah had stated that Uddhav Thackeray is associating with individuals who had requested forgiveness for Yakub Memon, a convict in the 1993 bomb blast, and had given biryani to Aamir Ajmal Kasab, the convict of the 26/11 Mumbai attack.
Even in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP leaders were accused of making statements indicating the party aims to polarize Hindu votes. There was a lot of discussion surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on having more children and taking away Mangalsutra.