India, March 3 -- 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 (UP) 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 ...