Amid ‘Ram’ and ‘Samvidhan’ debate, more lowly concerns in Ayodhya

Singh’s campaign revolves around Narendra Modi. He tells people the Prime Minister fulfilled a 500-year-old dream with the consecration of the Ram Temple and will similarly bring Lord Krishna to Mathura now. His campaign songs too are aimed at reminding people how those who “fired upon Ram bhakts (a reference to the action by then SP government led by Mulayam Singh against temple kar sevaks in 1990)” are now trying to oppose Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The BJP, which is confident of victory, is also talking about “the drastic infrastructure improvement” in Ayodhya – railway station, roads and the upcoming Ayurveda Medical College. “Where is the contest?… There is no contest in Ayodhya. Who would have thought such a day would come. There are wider roads, better businesses and Ayodhya is on the global map, all thanks to Yogiji and Modiji,” Ayodhya Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi tells The Indian Express.

However, Lallu Singh’s remarks on the Constitution have given SP chief Akhilesh Yadav ammunition to target the BJP. “Roti, kapda, makan hai zaroori, lekin humare liye Samvidhan bachana bhi hai zaroori (Food, clothes and houses are necessary, but it is also necessary to save the Constitution),” he told a recent gathering in Faizabad.

Shashi Pandey (in grey) and Geeta Singh at the latter’s shop along Ram Path in Ayodhya. (Express photo by Maulshree Seth)

In a constituency where Dalits make up almost a quarter of the electorate, the SP is banking on Prasad to gain a chunk of the community’s votes. The Faizabad Lok Sabha seat has five Assembly segments, four (Dariyabad, Rudauli, Bikapur and Ayodhya) of which are held by the BJP, while one (Milkipur) is represented by Prasad.

In the recent past, the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat has been won by the SP (1998), BSP (2004), Congress (2009) and the BJP (1999, 2014 and 2019). In the 2019 polls, when the SP and BSP contested the polls in alliance, Lallu won by a margin of over 65,000 votes, far less than the over 1 lakh margin in 2014 when both SP and BSP contested separately.

The Faizabad Lok Sabha seat has five Assembly segments, four (Dariyabad, Rudauli, Bikapur and Ayodhya) of which are held by the BJP, while one (Milkipur) is represented by Prasad.

Prasad, the sitting Milkipur MLA, has been emphasising on his “local connect” and also invoking Ram, albeit in a lighter vein. “Not only do I belong to Ayodhya, but Ram is in my heart as my family members – brother, father and father-in-law – have Ram in their names,” he says.

A little away from the high-octane campaign, locals in Ayodhya are happy about the Ram Temple and its tertiary benefits but want the government to lend an ear to their concerns over possible loss of shops due to road widening in the future, and VVIP movements.

Along the Ram Path, the newly-expanded and beautified road leading up to the temple, Shashi Pandey and Geeta Singh – both in their 50s – sit at the shop owned by Geeta.

Shashi is a little frustrated as she has just quit her Rs 5,000 per month job of a cook as it needed walking 1.5 km due to non-availability of public transport or restrictions for VVIP movement. “Earlier, I would walk, but it is not possible now in the heat. So, I decided to just quit,” she says, adding that she applied to work in the locker room of the Ram Temple but was asked to talk to “some minister”.

Mohammad Irafan at his flower shop in Nakka area of Faizabad town. (Express photo by Maulshree Seth)

Geeta, a widow whose only source of income is her shop, admits business has been brisk since the consecration, but there has been a downside. “We also got compensation for the portion of the shop that we lost due to road expansion. But that has been spent in renovation. Not just us, even pilgrims are troubled as they have to walk on many days… We thought the barricading would be removed eventually, but we still remain restricted behind them,” Geeta says.

A kilometre ahead, on the road leading to Naya Ghat, Sunder Prasad, who runs a confectionery shop, says: “We are happy that there is change in Ayodhya, but… during VVIP movement, it becomes difficult for me to drop my children to school.”

Besides, the improvements seem to be restricted to Ayodhya. About 35 km away in Nakka area of Faizabad town, once seen to be the centre of Faizabad district, life for many has not changed.

“Yahan sab SP samarthak hain, aap aage jaayiye (Everyone here is a SP supporter, please talk to someone else),” says Mohammad Irfan, a flower seller, even before being approached. Ayodhya may have seen development, but nothing has changed in Faizabad, he adds.

A little ahead, 38-year-old Chandan Srivastava, also a flower shop owner, admits to increased business but echoes Irfan’s views. “Modiji changed Ayodhya. He visits only Ayodhya and not surrounding areas. While we supply around 2-3 quintals of flowers on a daily basis. I hope Faizabad also sees major transformation like Ayodhya,” he says.