Yogi Adityanath, born in 1972 as Ajay Mohan Singh Bisht, is a monk-turned-politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party or the BJP. He has been the longest-serving Chief Minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh, having been in office for over nearly seven years — since March 2017.
Head priest at the Gorakhnath temple, he first joined politics when he was named in charge of managing the election campaign for former MP Mahant Avaidyanath.
Yogi Adityanath represents the Gorakhpur urban constituency in the state legislative assembly. First elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998, he has served as the MP for Gorakhpur in the parliament. He was a member of the Legislative Council of the state between 2017 and 2022.
Great pity that even at a time of such a humbling human tragedy, we cannot overcome petty prejudice. Had his name been Dr Krishna Kanhaiya, he would have been feted as a hero.