Akhilesh Yadav, uncle Shivpal say 'BJP lost in Ayodhya because...'
What's the story
The Samajwadi Party (SP) delivered a crushing defeat to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the recently-held Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh, a state considered the stronghold of the saffron party.
Now, the party's chief, Akhilesh Yadav, has listed the reasons he thinks are why the BJP failed to woo voters, especially in Faizabad, which houses the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Yadav's response
Akhilesh credits BJP's loss to injustice in Ayodhya
"You would have seen the pain of Ayodhya from time to time. They were not given adequate compensation for their land, injustice was done to them, their land was not acquired at par with the market price, you snatched their land forcibly by slapping false cases against them," Akhilesh told the press.
"You (BJP) destroyed the poor for a sacred thing. That is why, I think people of Ayodhya and neighbouring areas voted against the BJP," he said.
Future predictions
Shivpal Yadav predicts future success for Samajwadi Party
Shivpal Yadav, Akhilesh's uncle, reiterated the criticisms, stating that "the Ram temple poll pitch didn't work for the BJP."
He confidently predicted that if elections were held again today in Uttar Pradesh, a government under Akhilesh's leadership would be formed.
The SP emerged as the single largest party in Uttar Pradesh, winning 37 of 80 Lok Sabha seats, while the BJP won 33 seats.
The Congress, an ally of the SP in Uttar Pradesh, bagged seven seats.
Political debate
BJP's loss sparks debate on alienation and resentment
Of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP's loss in Faizabad was the most shocking, as the temple in Ayodhya was thought to be the project that would seal Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term as PM.
The campaign for the temple started back in 1992, and in January of this year, the Ram Mandir was inaugurated.
A slew of Indian celebrities, including rich families, cricketers, and actors, turned up for the "once-in-a-lifetime" consecration ceremony of the temple.