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The SP chief had stayed away from the consecration and skipped the official invitation; his Ayodhya visit now comes months ahead of the crucial UP elections
Samajwadi Party National President Akhilesh Yadav during a religious event, in Ayodhya. File pic/PTI
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is set to finally visit the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on December 12, marking a significant political moment nearly three years after the temple’s Pran Pratishtha ceremony.
The visit is politically significant because Akhilesh Yadav had stayed away from the Ram Temple ever since the consecration ceremony, despite receiving an official invitation for the historic Pran Pratishtha. The Samajwadi Party chief had also kept his party away from subsequent political and symbolic visits to the temple.
Now, with crucial elections approaching in the coming months, Akhilesh’s decision to visit the Ram Temple is certain to trigger questions over whether the Samajwadi Party is recalibrating its political approach towards Ayodhya and the Ram Mandir.
The contrast with the BJP could not be sharper.
Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana had led legislators on a visit to the Ram Temple, with MLAs from across parties participating. However, the Samajwadi Party had stayed away from the exercise, reinforcing Akhilesh Yadav’s distance from the temple politics that has remained central to the BJP’s political narrative.
Akhilesh’s December 12 visit, therefore, is not just another temple visit.
For the BJP, the Ram Mandir remains one of the biggest symbols of its ideological and political journey. For years, the party has sought to project the construction and consecration of the temple as the fulfilment of a decades-old national and civilisational promise.
At A Glance
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is scheduled to visit the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on December 12.
The planned visit comes nearly three years after the temple’s Pran Pratishtha, which Yadav previously stayed away from despite receiving an official invitation.
Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana had previously led legislators on a visit to the Ram Temple that the Samajwadi Party skipped.
The upcoming visit occurs as crucial elections approach in Uttar Pradesh.
The Opposition, meanwhile, has faced a more complicated political challenge. While attacking the BJP over the manner in which the Ram Temple issue has been politically projected, Opposition parties have also had to deal with the overwhelming emotional and religious connect that the temple has with millions of Hindus.
Akhilesh Yadav’s decision to finally visit Ayodhya could now be seen as an attempt to address that political reality.
The timing is particularly important.
The Samajwadi Party has often accused the BJP of using religion and religious symbols for electoral gains. But with elections approaching, the party chief himself heading to the Ram Temple could signal a recognition that staying completely away from one of India’s most important religious landmarks carries its own political costs.
The BJP is likely to question the timing of the visit and portray it as an election-driven move.
The obvious question will be: why now?
Why did Akhilesh Yadav stay away during the Pran Pratishtha? Why did he ignore the official invitation? Why did the Samajwadi Party skip the legislators’ visit to the Ram Temple? And why has the SP chief chosen December 12, months before the elections, to finally offer prayers at the shrine?
For the Samajwadi Party, however, the visit could provide an opportunity to counter the BJP’s long-standing attempt to claim exclusive political ownership over the Ram Mandir movement and Hindu religious symbolism.
Akhilesh Yadav’s Ayodhya visit could also be aimed at broadening the SP’s political messaging beyond its traditional support base. The party has been attempting to position itself as a major challenger to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, and any electoral strategy will inevitably have to address the BJP’s powerful Hindutva and religious narrative.
The Ram Temple has transformed Ayodhya not just physically but politically. The city has become a powerful symbol in national politics, and the temple remains central to the BJP’s campaign narrative.
For Akhilesh Yadav, therefore, a visit to the Ram Temple is unlikely to be viewed in isolation.
The December 12 visit will be watched closely for the optics, the messaging and, most importantly, what Akhilesh Yadav says after offering prayers.
Because three years after staying away from the historic Pran Pratishtha, the Samajwadi Party chief is finally heading to the Ram Temple.
And with elections drawing closer, the political question is already being asked: is this a visit of faith—or a recalibration driven by electoral politics?
Quick Answers
Ask News18Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is scheduled to visit the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on December 12, which is nearly three years after the temple’s Pran Pratishtha ceremony.
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Aman Sharma, News Director at CNN-News18, has over two-and-a-half decades of experience in covering the wide spectrum of politics and the Prime Minister’s Office. He has written widely on politics, el…Read More
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