Akhilesh-Yogi Banter Puts Ayodhya Assembly Seat Back In Focus
· India · Indian Express, Hindustan Times
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav have challenged each other to contest the 2027 Assembly elections from Ayodhya. The temple town has returned to the political spotlight two years after the BJP lost the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat to the SP in the 2024 general elections. Adityanath responded to Yadav's earlier challenge by inviting the SP chief to face him directly in the temple constituency, though Adityanath noted his visits to Ayodhya focus on integrated development rather than electoral contests. Adityanath currently serves as the MLA from Gorakhpur Urban, while Yadav was elected from Karhal in 2022 before vacating the seat following his election to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj in 2024. The political sparring comes as the SP has already named former Ayodhya MLA Pawan Pandey as its candidate for the seat in the upcoming 2027 polls.
Why it matters
This high-profile electoral face-off puts the politically sensitive Ayodhya constituency at the center of Uttar Pradesh's upcoming assembly elections, testing the political weight of the Ram temple region.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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