The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) admitted defeat in a key constituency, despite the recent inauguration of a grand Hindu temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event, held just months ago, was anticipated to solidify Modi’s legacy and ensure a BJP victory.
The BJP is facing significant losses in Uttar Pradesh, a crucial northern state, as the opposition Samajwadi Party and Congress lead in more than half of its 80 seats. Notably, this includes Ayodhya city in the Faizabad constituency, where Modi inaugurated the temple in January.
The temple is on a site that has been a focal point of Hindu-Muslim tension for decades. The BJP’s inauguration of the temple fulfilled a long-standing promise, heavily emphasized during their extensive two-month campaign in this Hindu-majority nation.
“I could not protect your and Ayodhya’s dignity, there must have been some shortcoming in me,” lamented Lallu Singh, the incumbent BJP lawmaker from Faizabad, in a statement to party workers captured by the Indian Express.
Faizabad had previously elected Singh in both 2014 and 2019, during which the BJP secured 71 and 62 seats respectively in Uttar Pradesh. However, current Election Commission trends show the BJP’s count reduced to 33 seats, highlighting voter concerns over unemployment and high inflation as more pressing than religious sentiments.
Rakesh Yadav, chairperson of the Ayodhya Vyapar Mandal (a traders’ body), expressed the local sentiment: “We are very happy with the temple but people were fed up with the BJP.” Yadav pointed to dissatisfaction among small business owners, who received lower than expected compensation when their shops were demolished for Ayodhya’s redevelopment prior to the temple opening.
“People will not always fall for the caste or temple-mosque politics. They also want to see development, which is why the results may surprise us all,” he added.
The Ram temple’s construction followed a Supreme Court order resolving a prolonged dispute. In 1992, a Hindu mob demolished a 16th-century mosque on the site, claiming it was built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, leading to widespread violence.
Leave a Reply