Yogi & Akhilesh trade dares as temple town heats up
Two years after the BJP lost the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat to the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the 2024 elections, Ayodhya is back at the centre of Uttar Pradesh politics, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav challenging each other to contest the 2027 Assembly elections from the temple town.
The Ram temple is located in the Ayodhya Assembly constituency, one of the five segments of the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat. While the BJP has largely held the Assembly seat over the past three decades, its vote share and winning margins have fluctuated. The SP’s 2024 victory in Faizabad has raised questions about the ruling party’s electoral prospects.
Earlier this week, attending a Bhagwat Katha recitation in Ayodhya, Yadav challenged Adityanath to contest from the constituency if the Chief Minister was confident of winning.
On Saturday, Adityanath responded by inviting Yadav to face him in the election. “Chalo ek baar kismat aajma lete hain. Tay ho jaaye. Aap bhi aaiyen, main bhi aata hun (Let us test our fortunes. Let it be decided. You come, and I will come too)”, he said.
Adityanath, however, said Ayodhya was a place of faith for him and that his visits were aimed at ensuring its integrated development, not contesting elections.
The Chief Minister is currently the MLA from Gorakhpur Urban. Yadav was elected from Karhal in 2022 but vacated the seat after winning the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency in 2024.
Taking another swipe at Yadav, Adityanath said the contest should be face-to-face rather than through political followers. BJP sources said the remark was aimed at former Ayodhya MLA Pawan Pandey, who organised the religious event attended by Yadav.
Pandey, also known as Tej Narain Pandey, is the first SP candidate Yadav has announced for the 2027 Assembly elections. At an event in Lucknow on August 5, the SP chief said Pandey would contest from Ayodhya. A Brahmin leader, Pandey has accused the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust of irregularities in land purchases and has attacked the BJP over alleged discrepancies in temple donations.
BJP’s fluctuating fortunes
An analysis of the past eight Assembly elections shows that Ayodhya remained a BJP stronghold until 2012, when Pandey defeated the party’s veteran leader Lallu Singh.
The BJP recorded its highest vote share in the constituency in 1991, when the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was at its peak. Singh garnered 51.3% of the vote and won by a margin of 30,400 votes.
He retained the seat in 1993, months after the demolition of the Babri mosque, but the BJP’s vote share fell to 47.24% and its winning margin to 9,238 votes. The SP, contesting its first election, finished second with nearly 40% of the vote.
Singh continued to win the seat, but the BJP’s vote share declined to 45.61% in 1996, 38.72% in 2002 and around 37% in 2007.
In 2012, amid anti-incumbency against the Mayawati-led BSP government, the SP fielded Pandey, who defeated Singh by 5,404 votes. Pandey secured 28.74% of the vote, while the BJP’s share fell to around 26%.
The BJP returned to power in the constituency in 2017, when Ved Prakash Gupta polled 49.56% of the vote and defeated Pandey by 50,440 votes. Gupta retained the seat in 2022, with the BJP’s vote share slipping to around 49%. Its winning margin, however, fell to 19,990 votes, while Pandey’s vote share rose to 40.4%.
The BJP’s defeat in Faizabad in 2024 came despite the consecration of the Ram temple and the launch of major infrastructure projects in Ayodhya. The SP’s Awadhesh Prasad, a Dalit leader, defeated Lallu Singh in the Lok Sabha constituency.
Caste arithmetic and civic concerns
Caste equations are expected to be crucial in Ayodhya. Dalits form a substantial section of the electorate, followed by Brahmins, while Muslims and Yadavs are significant communities traditionally associated with the SP’s support base. The BJP draws support from sections of the upper castes and OBC communities such as Kurmis, Nishads, Mauryas and Rajbhars.
“The current social equations make the election a challenging task for our party in the prestigious Ayodhya seat. Yadavs and Muslims are traditional SP voters. Also, the SP has fielded a local Brahmin candidate who will cut into our Brahmin and other upper-caste votes. Dalit voters will play a key role here,” a BJP leader said.
Despite losing the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, the BJP led in the Ayodhya Assembly segment by 4,667 votes. The SP led in the other four segments — Dariyabad, Rudauli, Milkipur and Bikapur.
The Lok Sabha setback also brought renewed attention to civic issues in Ayodhya, including pending drainage and roadwork. Officials say most major projects have been implemented, but some works are ongoing.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Pandey said the SP would win Ayodhya if the elections were conducted fairly. “The BJP’s lead in Ayodhya was very thin in the Lok Sabha polls. The public is upset with the BJP government’s corruption, lack of basic amenities and the VIP culture of BJP leaders. Officers and property dealers are looting the public. The BJP government makes false claims of development,” he said.
BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi dismissed Yadav’s challenge, saying the SP chief knew he could not win from Ayodhya. Citing projects worth Rs 50,000 crore and the city’s Deepotsav celebrations, he said the BJP’s victory was certain and challenged Yadav to either announce his candidature or apologise for his remarks.
