On road to Ayodhya and to LS polls, Ram Temple is a factor, just strong enough to cut across other concerns

Given the scale of the celebrations around the Ram Temple inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ayodhya is set to be the ruling BJP’s major plank in the coming Lok Sabha polls. However, on the road from Delhi to Ayodhya in the run-up to the consecration shows that while the Temple will be a deciding factor for a large section of the electorate, for many, it will be one of several issues, with caste still a big determinant.

While there was near-unanimous approval for the Temple among the voters, the public response to the grand inauguration and its importance was clearly tempered by voters’ party preferences. Plus, concerns that were shared by them regardless of their party loyalties, such as unemployment, rising prices, stray cattle and, increasingly, recent changes that could end up punishing drivers with 10 years’ imprisonment for fatal accidents.

Those belonging to the upper castes and non-Yadav OBCs – the vote banks which have rallied behind the BJP staunchly in UP since 2014 – appear more excited about the Temple. But the Yadavs, which form the core vote base of the Samajwadi Party (SP), while approving of the Temple, express reservations over its “politicisation”, calling it a “ploy to deflect from real issues”, and talking of “waste of huge resources” on its construction.

The Jatav Dalits, a key vote bank of the Mayawati-led BSP, appear to be the least enthusiastic about the Temple. But even among the Scheduled Castes, Dalit groups such as Valmikis and Pasis, which have now gravitated towards the BJP, express happiness over the Temple being built.

“Ram Mandir is not an issue for the polls. They (the BJP) are already winning, with or without the Temple. People are happy about everything that Modi is doing for