When his name was announced for the post of chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on March 19, Adityanath was seen by many as a “mini Modi”, who might one day even make it to the prime minister’s post. He was cast in the same mould: a Hindu hawk to follow Modi, the current “Hindu hridaya samrat” after Bal Thackeray – someone with a clean image, who was selling dreams and dishing out promises of change. Adityanath was also known for his tough – at times rough and ready – ways, in addition to being a sanyasi who had run a “math”. He was also someone who, without a family in tow (against the backdrop of the Yadav dynasty coming in for increasing criticism), enjoyed a mass following inis being felt not just by the Muslims, though they do not constitute the BJP’s vote bank, but also by Dalits, who too have lost their livelihoods. And the Dalits do form a very important catchment area for the BJP if it is to return to power in 2019. The Saharanpur violence against them in May did nothing to reassure them.

Six months into office, somewhere Adityanath appears to have lost steam.

Undoubtedly, six months is a short period to deliver results in a state like Uttar Pradesh, known for its set and stagnant ways, resistant to change at the political, bureaucratic and even at the popular levels.

A telling commentary of the difficulties Adityanath has run into is the White Paper released by him on Monday, September 18, about his