BJP's Ayodhya showdown: Development and loss concerns eclipse religious agenda

The performance, measured against the ambitious goals set by the Bharatiya Janata Party, has been somewhat lacklustre in the recent general elections, particularly the Hindi heartland Uttar Pradesh played a major role as the BJP suffered a shock defeat in the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency.

- SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE

BJP lost Faizabad – the Ayodhya constituency where the Ram Mandir has been built – despite seeking votes on this basis. Experts suggest that the Dalit vote in the state favoured the INDIA bloc and that issues of development and unemployment overshadowed religious concerns.

However, it wasn’t just Dalit votes. Millennium Post spoke to locals and found that deprivation of basic facilities under the BJP also frustrated voters, leading them to choose Samajwadi Party’s Awadhesh Prasad, even though they feel he is not an ideal candidate for Ayodhya. BJP’s Lallu Singh received 499,722 votes, while Prasad garnered 554,289 votes.

Behind the glitz of the sparkling Ram Lala temple lies a dark side: the issue of land grabbing. Thousands of locals from various communities took to the streets to protest against the seizure of their land and the demolition of their houses to make way for the temple and other infrastructure, sparking widespread anger among residents. On the cusp of celebration, the dominance of Vishwa Hindu Parishad-led temple trust transgressed the lawful method and wealth has gone to the rich in the name of development.

Amidst the glamour and grandeur of radiant Ayodhya, much like the revered Ram Lalla, the people are reduced to mere ornaments. Locals informed that approximately 4,000 shops and homes have been demolished to make way for road-widening projects and the overall beautification of Ayodhya.