BJP and Critics Slam Akhilesh Yadav Over Planned Ayodhya Ram Mandir Visit Ahead of 2027 UP Polls

Political opponents have launched a scathing attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his upcoming visit to Ayodhya's Ram Mandir, dismissing the move as an opportunistic electoral strategy ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Yadav is scheduled to visit the Ram Mandir and Hanuman Garhi temple alongside his family on December 12, marking his maiden pilgrimage to the shrine since its consecration.

BJP leaders and allied figures have questioned the timing of the visit, pointing to the party's historical opposition to the temple project.

BJP Accuses SP Chief of Political Expediency

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi criticized the SP chief, claiming Yadav had pivoted from standard political campaigns to religious tours after realizing his party’s electoral prospects were bleak.

"After political campaign trips, Akhilesh Yadav is going on religious trips because he knows he cannot achieve anything in the upcoming elections," Naqvi stated, dismissing political alliances forged ahead of polls as temporary and opportunistic.

BJP state spokesperson Dr Samatha G echoed similar sentiments, expressing surprise at the sudden religious outreach. "Akhilesh Yadav was initially against the construction of Ram Mandir; now he has become religious. It is surprising how many people suddenly became Hindu as the elections are getting nearer," she said, expressing confidence in the BJP securing another term in 2027.

Allies and Clerics Weigh In on Ayodhya Visit

Shiv Sena Telangana President Sinkaru Shivaji also questioned the timing, alleging the visit was designed to court Hindu votes. While noting that genuine visits are unobjectionable, Shivaji argued that undertaking the pilgrimage more than two years after the temple's construction exposed political motivations.

Meanwhile, All India Imam Association president Sajid Rashidi dismissed Yadav's outreach from a different angle, claiming the SP leader was attempting to compensate for shifting voter equations.

"Akhilesh Yadav has understood that Muslims of UP are not going to vote for him in the same manner they voted for him previously; that is why, after Muslims, they are now trying to fool the Hindus," Rashidi alleged in Delhi, questioning the political sincerity behind the scheduled December pilgrimage.