The blind and unreasonable belief started in 1988 with then chief minister late Veer Bahadur Singh who experienced the "curse" first hand. Later, ND Tiwari, Kalyan Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati "have also fallen prey" to this phenomenon.

It might constitute a serious breach of protocol. But, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav would still not go to Noida to receive the Prime Minister there on Thursday. The reason: the Noida jinx.

For the uninitiated, that is the fear of UP chief ministers that a visit to Noida brings misfortune, preventing the incumbent from remaining in his seat of power for long. Akhilesh, projected as a young and modern-thinking politician, has also been stricken by this patently baseless apprehension.
The blind and unreasonable belief started in 1988 with then chief minister late Veer Bahadur Singh who experienced the "curse" first hand. Later, ND Tiwari, Kalyan Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati "have also fallen prey" to this phenomenon.

The PM would be in Noida to inaugurate the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. As a matter of protocol, both the CM and the Governor receive the PM when he visits their state. On Thursday, while UP Governor Ram Naik would be there to receive Modi, the CM will stay away.

Whether it was the inauguration of the Yamuna Expressway or other projects, laying the foundation of a university or opening Nasscom's Noida office, Akhilesh has preferred to press the remote control button from Lucknow or Delhi, assiduously avoiding the allegedly cursed destination. Even the horrific episode in Dadri (Noida), where a Muslim man Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched on suspicion of eating beef, failed to shake up Akhilesh enough.