LUCKNOW: After Kerala, BJP will use Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Hindutva poster boy Yogi Aditya Nath in a 'Gaurav Yatra' to the lead of elections in Gujarat. The yatra borrows its name from Narendra Modi's post-riot campaign in the state in 2002 that hunted to re-establish Gujarati 'pride'.

 Uttar Pradesh CM will go ahead in the yatra on two consecutive days — in south Gujarat on October 13 and in north Gujarat the next day — one of the programme associate, Kaushik Bhai Patel, told.

The BJP hopes to reproduce the victory of the four parivartan yatras in UP that featured Yogi months before this year's assembly elections in the state.

The first phase of the Gaurav Yatra was bannered to BJP president Amit Shah at Karamsad, the birthplace of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on October 1. This yatra, being go ahead by Deputy CM Nitin Patel, will face 1,361km and 76 assembly constituencies in central and north Gujarat.

The second phase, go headed by Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani, started on October 2 from Porbandar, birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, and will face 2,395km across 73 assembly seats in south Gujarat and Saurashtra. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will join both yatra routes on alternate days.

Gujarat BJP had sought time from Yogi in view of his escalating popularity and pro-Hindutva image. The UP CM's office has inveterate Yogi's Gujarat visit.

Yogi was the third most well-liked figure in the party after Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, and the most popular chief minister in the country. 

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