New Delhi/Lucknow: One of the major topics of discussion during this election was the building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, a promise made by the BJP since the 1980s. Supporters of the party were confident that it would play a crucial role in the Lok Sabha elections.
However, in Faizabad, which includes the Ayodhya assembly seat, the Samajwadi Party (SP) is currently leading. Awadhesh Prasad of the SP is ahead by more than 33,000 votes compared to his closest rival from the BJP, Lallu Singh.
Exit polls had predicted that the BJP would secure a majority of seats in Uttar Pradesh, which sends the highest number of MPs (80) to the Lok Sabha.
Nevertheless, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress are putting up a tough fight. Akhilesh Yadav’s SP is leading in 33 seats, while the Congress is leading in 7. The BJP is leading in 37 seats, which marks a significant decrease of 28 seats compared to the previous election in 2019.
“The decline in the BJP’s seats can be attributed to three states: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. In Uttar Pradesh, specifically, the construction and inauguration of the Ram temple did not emerge as a major issue. The strong social coalition formed by the Samajwadi Party and Congress seems to have made a significant impact,” stated Sandeep Shastri, the national coordinator of Lokniti, to news agency Reuters.
Political analyst Surendra Kumar Diwedi emphasized that the trend clearly indicates that in a state like Uttar Pradesh, where the Ram temple is located, the temple alone is no longer the sole determining factor.
Mr. Diwedi informed Reuters that developmental issues, particularly those concerning youths such as widespread leaks in competitive examinations and unemployment, have significantly affected the youth demographic, which represents the largest portion of voters.
Akhilesh Yadav’s wife, Dimple Yadav, is currently in the lead with a substantial margin of 1,40,966 votes against BJP candidate Jayveer Singh. Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav himself is leading with a margin of 84,463 votes against BJP candidate Subrat Pathak.