The Uttar Pradesh chief minister reached Noida in a helicopter to review preparations two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on December 25.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath arrived in Noida today in a helicopter, dispelling the notorious “Noida jinx”, which had scared away his predecessors from visiting the state's urban hub. After almost a six-year break, a chief minister has come to visit Noida.
It is widely believed that any CM who visits this city loses power.
The objective of Adityanath’s visit was to review security and other arrangements ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Noida on December 25 to inaugurate the Magenta Line metro from Botanical Garden to Kalkaji Metro Station. Firstly, he checked the arrangements at Botanical Garden Metro station and then went to Amity International University in Sector 25, where the PM will address people on Christmas.
According to an official, around 1,500 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed today for Adityanath's security. A force of 5,000 men will be deployed for Modi's visit on Monday. Officials also said that the CM was happy with the arrangements.
Following today’s visit, the CM will visit the city again on December 25.
Though, Noida was developed from a cluster of small villages and turned into the prime economic zone of the state, it has been avoided by past chief ministers.
The superstition goes back all the way to 1988, when the then UP CM, Vir Bahadur Singh, lost power days after visiting Noida.
BSP leader Mayawati was the last chief minister to have tried breaking the jinx by visiting Noida in 2011 to inaugurate a Rs 685-crore memorial park, but she lost the state assembly elections in 2012. The Noida jinx was held responsible for the defeat.
The superstition surrounding the jinx was so strong that in his entire five-year term, her successor, Akhilesh Yadav, otherwise considered to be a next-gen politician, did not even once visit Noida. Instead, he chose to inaugurate and launch projects in Noida and Greater Noida via video calls. In August 2012, Yadav famously inaugurated the Yamuna Expressway from Lucknow. Yet, his party lost this year's elections, and the BJP came to power with a landslide win.
Here’s a list of all the UP CMs who share a history with the Noida jinx:
