Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda and Parliamentary Board for making him a candidate from Gorakhpur in the upcoming Assembly polls.
While addressing the presser, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the party is releasing the list of candidates for 57 out of 58 seats in the first phase and for 48 out of 55 in the second phase, and revealed that Yogi Adityanath will contest from Gorakhpur seat.
"Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to contest from Gorakhpur seat. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to contest from Sirathu Assembly segment," he said.
"Hearty thanks to respected Prime Minister @narendramodi, Honorable National President @JPNadda and Parliamentary Board for making me the candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party from Gorakhpur (urban) in the upcoming assembly elections," tweeted Yogi in Hindi.
There was speculation earlier that Adityanath, who never contested Assembly elections before, could contest either from Ayodhya or Mathura. BJP leader Harnath Singh Yadav had written to party national president JP Nadda and urged him to field the Chief Minister from Mathura.
However, putting all speculations to rest, the BJP announced that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will contest from his stronghold Gorakhpur which elected him to Lok Sabha for five straight terms till 2017.
The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
( With inputs from ANI )
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