Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is in extended poll campaigning in the South Gujarat districts with sizeable UP migrants workers as the party seeks to use his traction with the voters from eastern UP and also to capitalise on his ‘religious sway’ over the State populace.

According to sources, at least 60 candidates have asked the central leadership to request Adityanath to have more intense poll sorties to please the migrant labourers  from UP concentrated  in the highly industrialised constituencies .

“ This has become more necessary as   none of the representatives from the  migrant population has been allotted party tickets,” sources said indicating that the Chief Minister’s presence would assuage the UP workers in the state.  The BJP this week announced names of around 150 of 182 candidates for the assembly polls.

Adityanath would , among other areas , be focusing  in Surat, Vadodra and Vapi  (Valsad district) where there is high concentration of the migrant workers.  The region is known for large scale textile , diamond and Chemical factories where migrant workers are largely employed. The top BJP leader’s image as a ‘religious leader’ besides his ‘rajput identity’ may  also benefit the party candidates in the region, they said.

The increasing demand for  Adityanath in  constituencies makes him one of the most sought after BJP Chief Ministers in the state where the who’s who of the BJP has been engaged in campaigning in the crucial election. Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Chhattisgarh have been campaigning in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah.

The Chief Minister, which had  last month, joined  BJP’s ‘ Gaurav Yatra’  in Gujarat  is  to  set off  on his election blitzkrieg  this week and tour  series of South Gujarat constituencies  until  November 30 and again December four to December six. Polling in Gujarat would be in two phases on December 9 and December 14 with counting to take place together for Gujarat and Himachal on December 18.

The UP CM has, this week, set himself free for the Gujarat polls after the conclusion of municipal poll elections in his State which are expected to test his popularity after six-month of the BJP rule under his leadership.