Mahakumbh a political & pilgrimage milestone for Yogi Adityanath

There were no other major issues apart from the stampede, helping Adityanath consolidate his position and silence his detractors anticipating his removal or transfer to Delhi

- Sunita Aron

The 45-day Maha Kumbh that concluded last week in Prayagraj was mostly about chief minister Yogi Adityanath unlike the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and Varanasi's Kashi Vishwanath corridor, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi took centre stage. Adityanath strengthened his position as a household name beyond Uttar Pradesh which many of his contemporaries in the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) have been unable to achieve.

He turned the tables on the opposition which blamed his administration for mismanagement. Adityanath cleaned the ghats, ate with sanitary staff, and rewarded police for their work during the Maha Kumbh, which the state government said attracted 660 million pilgrims.

He faced criticism after a pre-dawn stampede on the holiest day of the Maha Kumbh left at least 30 people and 60 injured on January 29. Bystanders were trampled when surging crowds burst out of barricades to rush towards a narrow strip of the riverbank.