Almost all Indians are superstitious by nature but none more so than politicians. Given the precarious nature of power almost every politician has a superstition that does not change over time. In fact, if anything, it increases till it turns into their minds as "fact."
This is the case of the self-imposed ban by many UP politicians on visiting Noida. Whether it has been the BJP, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or Samajwadi Party (SP), all UP chief ministers have avoided visiting this area, as it is believed that whoever did so would lose power.
This powerful jinx though may see its end with the current BJP dispensation. According to sources, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath may visit Noida for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inauguration of the Magenta line of the Delhi Metro which goes from Botanical Garden to Kalkaji. If the Chief Minister really does do so it may finally signal the end of the jinx.
If Adityanath really does break this jinx he will be breaking a superstition that goes back all the way to 1988 (see box). In 1988 then UP Chief Minister Vir Bahadur Singh lost power days after visiting Noida. The theory of a jinx then took hold and has held firm since then. BSP leader Mayawati did try to break the jinx when she visited Noida four times as chief minister. However, she lost the 2012 assembly election, and one of the factors that was blamed was the 'Noida jinx.'
The fear of a jinx was so strong, that during his entire five-year term, then CM Akhilesh Yadav stayed away from the area. This fear was all the more ironic as Akhilesh was considered the modern face of the Samajwadi Party. But while he may have used video calls to inaugurate or launch projects in Noida and Greater Noida, he never visited. In August 2012, Akhilesh inaugurated the Yamuna Expressway from Lucknow and avoided travelling to Noida. The following year too, he inaugurated many infrastructure projects in Gautam Budh Nagar without visiting the city.
But the fact that Akhilesh stayed away from Noida but still lost the election may help the current UP CM make up his mind. In any case, he still has a few days to decide. Prime Minister Modi's Noida visit is only on December 25.
However, people around Adityanath believe that he will break the jinx and visit Noida. Says a source, "Yogi is a modern age leader and does not believe in any superstition." The proof of that will be seen on December 25.
UP CMS & THE NOIDA JINX
1988 Vir Bahadur Singh lost power days after visiting Noida.
1989 ND Tiwari lost power after visiting Noida
1995 Mulayam Singh was out of power within months of his Noida visit.
1997 Mayawati lost power after visiting Noida.
1999 Kalyan Singh lost power after visiting Noida
2001 Rajnath Singh inaugurated the DND flyover from Delhi.
2012 Mayawati went to Noida in October 2011 to inaugurate the memorial Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal. She lost the 2012 Assembly Elections.
