Work is worship: Bijli, sadak, paani are once again the key poll issues in UP

Mathura, Ayodhya, Lucknow: “Law and order is the big reason why people like this government. The previous Samajwadi Party (SP) government was terrible when it came to this. Safety was such a huge concern. Our women couldn’t step out without being harassed. Now, there is no problem. We feel safe. Our women feel safe," says Satveer Singh, a staunch Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter, who runs a small roadside tea stall in Mathura in west Uttar Pradesh.

“Also, the BJP government has given us many benefits—from improved roads to the Ujjwala (cooking gas supply) scheme, houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, as well as free rations," he adds, as his wife nods vehemently.

Rohit Kumar, a shop owner in the busy city market of Bulandshahr, has a similar view. “I support Modiji, Yogiji and BJP. They’ve improved the law and order situation as well as roads in Uttar Pradesh and also fixed the water and electricity supply. I used to support SP earlier, but have now shifted to BJP," he says.

Across Uttar Pradesh, saffron ‘Jai Shri Ram’ flags flutter atop houses, commercial establishments, educational institutes, eateries and other buildings. And yet, it is not the expected and widely publicized Ram Mandir construction in Ayodhya that has emerged as the biggest plus point for the ruling BJP. Instead, it is what voters view as the massive improvement in the law and order situation under chief minister Yogi Adityanath, as well as the BJP government’s infrastructure and road construction push, that have emerged as the primary issues for the state’s electorate.

It is only when specifically asked about the Ram temple construction that most voters praise the move, while some even express indifference from a voting decision point