On his first day as the Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh,
Yogi Adityanath set some tough targets for his team. Working on the BJP's top election promises, the new UP Chief Minister discussed loan waivers for lakhs of farmers and ban on slaughterhouses. The 44-year-old priest's
swearing-in ceremony was attended by top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Also in attendance were former UP Chief Minister and
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Here's a look at Yogi Adityanath's rise to power:
Who is Yogi Adityanath?Yogi Adityanath's birth name is Ajay Singh Bisht. On June 5, 1972,
Ajay Bisht was born in the small of village Panchur in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand -- then a part of Uttar Pradesh. His father, Anand Bisht, worked with the state forest department and retired as range officer. After finishing school from Pauri, Ajay Bisht or Yogi Adityanath went to Kotdwar to pursue B.Sc. in Mathematics from Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University. From there, he went to Rishikesh to pursue his M.Sc. During his undergraduate days, he joined the RSS affiliate - ABVP or Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Later, he set up the Hindu Yuva Vahini. At 22, Yogi Adityanath left home for Gorakhpur to join Mahant Avaidyanath, then the head priest of Gorakhnath Math.
Yogi Adityanath and his political journeyYogi Adityanath, who became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on March 19, is a five-time parliamentarian. In 1998, at the age of 26, he became the youngest MP in India's 12th Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur constituency. He went on to represent the Gorakhpur seat for four consecutive terms in 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 elections.
Yogi Adityanath is also the head priest of Gorakhnath Math, a temple in Gorakhpur.