Ayodhya showdown? Yogi counters Akhilesh’s dare with a face-off challenge
Yadav says a young SP candidate can defeat the BJP in Ayodhya, invoking the Ram temple donation row as the two leaders trade barbs
Will Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his predecessor Akhilesh Yadav face off in Ayodhya in the 2027 Assembly elections? The chief minister has responded to the Samajwadi Party supremo’s challenge by daring him to contest from the temple town himself.
Also read | How Ayodhya Ram temple donation row put faith and transparency to test
“Akhileshji, I have an offer for you. You also file your nomination from Shri Ayodhya Dham, and I will do the same,” Adityanath said while inaugurating and laying the foundation stones for 78 development projects worth over Rs 800 crore in Balrampur district.
The Ayodhya challenge escalates
Yadav responded by saying that a young candidate from his party was enough to defeat the BJP in Ayodhya, invoking the controversy over alleged theft of donations to the Ram temple. The Samajwadi Party has already named Tej Narayan Pandey as its candidate from the constituency.
Yadav had on Thursday challenged the chief minister to contest the 2027 UP Assembly elections from Ayodhya, a constituency central to the BJP’s temple politics over the years.
“Ever since we announced our candidate, the BJP has been holding survey after survey, and it is falling behind in every survey. We are now hearing that they have not been able to find a new candidate for Ayodhya. If the chief minister, who makes tall claims, is so confident, he should contest the election from Ayodhya himself and prove it,” the Samajwadi chief had said.
BJP, SP spar over donation row
Responding to the challenge, Adityanath said Ayodhya was a sacred place for the BJP, not merely an electoral battleground.
“The Samajwadi Party is rattled. He (Yadav) can no longer see the development taking place in the state, nor does he have the ability to recognise it. He challenges me to contest the election from Ayodhya. I offer you to file your nomination from Ayodhya, and I will contest from there too. Let us test our luck once. Why fight through your followers? The contest should be face-to-face,” the chief minister said.
Also read | Ayodhya Ram Temple donation case: SIT chargesheet details 105 cash-removal incidents
Yadav was quick to hit back. “One of our young ‘PDA’ sentinels is enough to defeat the donation thieves in Ayodhya. Those who give clean chits to thieves are partners in crime. The public will end their arrogance. Have you forgotten the Lok Sabha?” he said in an X post.
The alleged theft of donations to the Ram temple has become a major issue for the Opposition in its attacks on the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.