Elections have come and gone, but for the temple city of Ayodhya, it is certainly a choice between a new beginning. With the long saga of the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute coming to an end after a landmark Supreme Court verdict in 2019, it is for the first time that the city is going to vote without the shadow of the decades-old dispute, which is at its deepest. Shaped and defined the contemporary politics of India and played the most important role in the meteoric rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
constituency of Ayodhya Voting will be held on February 27 along with 60 other seats spread over 11 districts in the fifth round of seven-phased Uttar Pradesh elections. In 2017, BJP had won 48 of these seats. However, in the 2012 assembly elections, 42 of them were won by the Samajwadi Party. Since 2017, with Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister, ‘Ayodhya’ has also seen geographical expansion, the district was earlier known as Faizabad. Polling is going to be held in Amethi, Rae Bareli, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Barabanki, Bahraich, Shravasti, Gonda and Chitrakoot in Bundelkhand.
In the erstwhile Faizabad, now Ayodhya, the BJP won all the five assembly constituencies of Rudauli, Milkipur (SC), Bikapur, Gosaiganj and Ayodhya in 2017. The ongoing construction of Ram temple is the new identity of the temple town. The BJP will certainly hope that the unprecedented focus on Ayodhya during its five-year rule in the state will also help draw votes, as ‘New Ayodhya’ also syncs with the expression of Hindutva.
Can Ayodhya Factor Affect Nearby Districts?
While the BJP’s decision not to field Yogi Adityanath from Ayodhya has significantly dampened the Hindutva spirit associated with the Ram temple, the party will still hope that the construction of the Ram temple will be the glue needed for the voters of the district. But the surrounding region has to live with it as well, especially in the Devipatan belt, which consists of 16 seats in the three districts of Gonda, Bahraich and Shravasti. In 2017, the BJP won 14 of them, of which one went to the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.
The region has been marked by intense communal polarization in the past. in some constituencies. There is a significant presence of Muslim voters. Other Backward Classes (OBC) voters also dominate here, but are almost equally divided among Kurmis, Yadavs and other OBCs. This was the area where saffron footprints first appeared during the rise of temple politics in the late 1980s. The Hindutva influence based in Ayodhya has wielded varying influence since then.
Samajwadi Party will hope that ‘Mandal’ beats ‘Kamandal’ in this belt. A lot depends on the solidarity of Muslims and OBCs. BJP will give it benefits on the issues of law and order, free ration and successful implementation of welfare schemes of the government.
The ruling party will also hope to continue its hold on neighboring Barabanki, a district that is home to state capital Lucknow on one side and Ayodhya on the other. In 2017, the BJP had won five out of six seats here, losing one to the SP. However, in 2012, the Samajwadi Party dominated here. The district is also a prosperous agricultural region with strong pockets of Muslim voters. From silent Hindutva to caste equations and agricultural issues, everything can be a factor here.
From Raja Bhaiya to Raja of Amethi
In the fifth phase, the monarchy is also seen dancing to the beat of democracy. Raghu Raj Pratap Singh or ‘Raja Bhaiya’ of Kunda princely state in Pratapgarh is seeking re-election from his traditional seat in the hope of a seventh consecutive victory. He is representing Kunda constituency as an independent MLA since 1993. He also has a strong influence on the surrounding constituencies. In 2017, neighboring Babaganj was won by Vinod Kumar, an independent contestant backed by Raja Bhaiya.
Raja Bhaiya is now contesting on the ticket of his party Jansatta Dal and is expected to win some more seats in the region.
However, unlike in the past, the Samajwadi Party has fielded a candidate against him this time.
Another big name of a princely state in the electoral contest is Raja Sanjay Singh of Amethi. A longtime Congress loyalist, the former MP left it to join the BJP in 2019. Now he is contesting from this seat on a saffron party ticket. In 2017, BJP had fielded his estranged wife Garima Singh from this seat. She won but this time has been denied the ticket.
In Amethi district, the BJP had won all the five seats of Tiloi, Salon, Jagdishpur, Gauriganj and Amethi in 2017. Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh, MLA of Tiloi princely state, is once again in the race on a BJP ticket.
In the Deputy CM race, whom will your party help?
Voting is also to be held in the fifth phase from Pratapgarh to Prayagraj via Kaushambi and Phulpur area. Of the 12 constituencies of Prayagraj (erstwhile Allahabad), the BJP won eight seats in 2017, its ally Apna Dal won one, the SP won one and the BSP won two. Apna Dal has also won two seats in Pratapgarh district. BJP won all the three seats in Kaushambi.
This time the Deputy Chief Minister and the biggest OBC face of BJP Keshav Prasad Maurya He is contesting from Sirathu in Kaushambi. In front of him is Pallavi Patel of the Apna Dal faction led by Krishna Patel. Pallavi is the younger sister of Union Minister Anupriya Patel. Both the sisters have chosen different political paths. The Apna Dal (Sonelal) faction led by Anupriya Patel is still with the BJP.
Kurmi/Patel and OBC based Apna Dal have significant influence in this area. The Samajwadi Party will be hoping that the faction led by Krishna and Pallavi Patel can beat Anupriya, and help her in the much-needed seat change in the region.
Congress’s lone fort
Even in the midst of the 2017 saffron tsunami, the ground the BJP could not win was the constituency of Rampur Khas in Pratapgarh. Veteran Congressman and veteran of UP politics Pramod Tiwari had hoisted the party flag here since 1980. After nine consecutive victories from the seat, he had vacated it in 2014 for daughter Aradhana Mishra for a by-election. She won again in 2017.
Congress would like Aradhana to continue the winning streak. In front of him is Nagesh Pratap Singh, who, the loser, had reduced the Congress’s victory margin significantly in 2017. He was defeated by only 20,000 votes. BJP hopes that he can surprise this time.
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