The results are in for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, and they have delivered some major surprises. Despite inaugurating the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya just a few months ago, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suffered significant losses in UP, including conceding defeat in the Ayodhya seat itself.
Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state, sending 80 representatives to the Lok Sabha – more than any other state. This makes UP immensely important in deciding who will form the next central government. In the 2019 elections, the BJP and its allies had won a whopping 62 of these 80 seats, paving the way for Modi’s second term as Prime Minister.
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This time around, however, the tables have turned dramatically in favor of the opposition INDIA alliance led by the Samajwadi Party and Congress. With more than half the results declared so far, the INDIA bloc is racing ahead in over 40 seats, while the BJP has been restricted to just 33 seats – a massive 29 seat decline from 2019.
Ayodhya Shocker for BJP
One of the biggest shocks has come from the Ayodhya constituency itself, which includes the city where Modi inaugurated the grand Ram Temple in January 2024 amid much fanfare. This event was seen as a huge milestone for the BJP in fulfilling its long-standing promise to build the temple at the disputed site.
The BJP had hoped that this historic achievement would consolidate its support not just in Ayodhya but across UP and even the entire nation. However, the Samajwadi Party candidate Awadhesh Prasad is leading by over 33,000 votes over the BJP incumbent Lallu Singh in Faizabad seat that covers Ayodhya city.
A crestfallen Singh told his party workers: “I could not protect your and Ayodhya’s dignity, there must have been some shortcoming in me.” He admitted “there must have been some reason that we couldn’t win in the Ayodhya parliamentary region” despite the Ram Temple inauguration.
Jobs and Inflation Trump Religion?
Political analysts believe the BJP’s poor showing indicates that for many voters in UP, issues like unemployment and rising inflation took precedence over religious matters like the Ram Temple this election.
“People will not always fall for caste or temple-mosque politics. They also want to see development, which is why the results may surprise us all,” said Rakesh Yadav, head of the Ayodhya traders’ body. He cited anger among small businesses over inadequate compensation during Ayodhya’s redevelopment before the temple opening.
“The decline in BJP seats is linked to UP particularly, where the construction and inauguration of the Ram Temple did not become a big issue,” said Sandeep Shastri of Lokniti research program. “The social coalition made by SP and Congress seems to have made the difference.”
Analyst Surendra Diwedi added: “The trend clearly shows that in UP, which has the Ram Temple, the temple is not the only deciding factor anymore. Issues related to youth like unemployment had an impact on the largest chunk of voters.”
Other Key Seats
While Ayodhya has drawn maximum attention, the BJP has faced similar setbacks in several other important UP constituencies:
Kanpur: A major industrial hub, Kanpur has been a BJP bastion for decades. But this time, the SP’s Shiv Pratap Shukla is leading by over 50,000 votes against BJP’s Brajbhushan Sharan Singh.
Gorakhpur: The BJP’s Upendra Dutt Shukla is trailing by around 25,000 votes to the BSP’s Arun Shrivastava in what was once considered the BJP’s unbreachable fortress of Gorakhpur. This seat has been represented by stalwart BJP leaders like Yogi Adityanath and Mahant Avaidyanath in the past.
Gonda: A BJP stronghold where Yogi Adityanath himself led an intense campaign, Gonda appears to have slipped away with the SP’s Pramod Krishnam leading by over 40,000 votes against BJP’s Kirtivardhan Singh.
The biggest gainer has been Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, which is leading in a staggering 33 seats so far. Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav is ahead by over 1.4 lakh votes in Kannauj, while Akhilesh himself has a lead of 84,000+ votes in Azamgarh.
This marks a remarkable comeback for the SP after its near wipeout in 2019, when it won just 5 UP seats. Along with the resurgent Congress party leading in 7 seats, the INDIA alliance appears to have successfully taken on the formidable BJP election machinery in UP this time.
While the final results are still awaited, one thing is clear – UP has delivered a major jolt to the BJP despite the Ram Temple inauguration that was expected to be its trump card. Voters seem to have firmly prioritized bread-and-butter issues over religious planks in India’s politically crucial heartland state.