Ayodhya. The construction of Ram Mandir was the main campaign issue of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) across the country but the irony is that it did not prove to be an effective election issue in Ayodhya. Two-time MP Lallu Singh from Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency was defeated by Awadhesh Prasad of Samajwadi Party (SP) by 54,567 votes. Ayodhya also falls under Faizabad constituency.
The ruling BJP had won 62 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while this time the party won only 33 seats. One reason behind the BJP’s crushing defeat could also be the demolition of houses to build wider roads. Prajwal Singh, who runs a guest house, told PTI-Bhasha, “When Ravana could not save his Lanka due to his arrogance, then who is Lallu Singh?” He alleged that the BJP candidate does not care about the business community. Singh also claimed that the BJP MP did not take the election campaign seriously.
The businessman said, “He was seen in Ayodhya city only during the roadshow organised with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” As a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Lallu Singh actively participated in the 1989 movement for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Lallu Singh (69) has been elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly five times besides being elected to the Lok Sabha twice.
Mahant Raju Das of Hanumangarhi temple also blamed the BJP’s defeat on the candidate and not the party. He said that we had no problem with the BJP. However, the candidate was completely cut off from the society and was filled with arrogance. When asked whether the BJP failed to take advantage of the temple in Ayodhya, Das said, “Ram temple has always been a matter of faith, not to be cashed in on. I am grateful to those who voted for the BJP and did not let anyone lock the Ram temple.” Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Ram temple, called the Ayodhya election result “shocking” but attributed Prime Minister Modi’s victory for the third time to God’s blessings.
He said, “If he (Modi) has become the Prime Minister again, it is because of the grace of Ram Lalla.” Samajwadi Party district chief Parasnath Yadav complained about houses being demolished to widen roads. He said, “People of Lord Ram’s land said that injustice is being done to them and they are being displaced from their places.” Ayodhya mayor and BJP leader Girish Pati Tripathi said, “There is no doubt that the results of the Lok Sabha elections have come as a surprise to us.
He claimed that this happened because the rivals played the caste card and somehow, we underestimated those things. Iqbal Ansari, a litigant in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, said that before the elections, the people of Ayodhya did not tell whom they would vote for. Denying any Muslim mobilization against the BJP candidate, Iqbal said, “The population of Muslims in Ayodhya is negligible and whether there is victory or defeat, it is due to Hindu votes.”