Lucknow: Today in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who is about to be chosen Leader of the Opposition, shared a rare moment of political bonhomie.
The two leaders met just weeks after exchanging scathing insults during a high-octane election campaign that culminated in the BJP’s historic return to power.
The Chief Minister and Mr Yadav, who was his main opponent in this election, were seen greeting each other and shaking hands on the House floor in a video released by news agency ANI. Before going on, the Chief Minister is seen clapping Mr Yadav on the shoulder.
The two leaders were among the 403 winners in these polls who took oath as legislators today. Both of them are first-time MLAs.
When Adityanath took over as Chief Minister, he gave up his Lok Sabha stronghold of Gorakhpur. He was a member of the legislative council during his last term. Mr Yadav, on the other hand, resigned as the Member of Parliament for Azamgarh after being elected to the Karhal Assembly seat.
In this election, results for which were declared on March 10, the BJP retained power by winning 273 seats along with its allies. While the alliance’s tally dropped by 49 seats, Mr Adityanath became the first Chief Minister in 37 years to retain his seat.
Although, Mr Yadav’s party came in second place with 111 seats in the 403-member legislature, a substantial increase in its vote share and its best showing in state polls ever.
The 111 legislators of the Samajwadi Party have unanimously elected him as the legislature party’s leader, opening the door for him to lead the Opposition charge in the Assembly.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
