Sharad Pawar Applauds Ayodhya People For Rejecting ‘Temple Politics’ By Defeating BJP

NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar on Tuesday lauded the people of Ayodhya for rejecting the "politics of temple" by defeating the BJP candidate in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at a traders' meet in Baramati, Pawar highlighted the reduction in BJP's seats, dropping from over 300 five years ago to 240 in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Pawar highlighted that the results showed a reduction of 60 seats for the BJP, with Uttar Pradesh playing a crucial role in this shift. He remarked, "The people of Uttar Pradesh gave a different kind of verdict."

Pawar anticipated that the Ram temple issue would dominate the election agenda, benefiting the ruling party. However, he praised the electorate's wisdom, stating, "When they realised that votes were being sought in the name of the temple, they decided to take a different stand, leading to BJP's defeat."

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In a major upset in the Faizabad parliamentary constituency, which includes Ayodhya, Samajwadi Party candidate Awadhesh Prasad defeated sitting BJP MP Lallu Singh by 54,567 votes.

As a key member of the INDIA bloc, Pawar expressed initial concerns about the temple being used as an election agenda. However, he acknowledged the electorate's different stance, saying, "The people of Ayodhya showed how to correct the 'politics of temple'."

Pawar asserted that India's democracy remains intact, not because of politics, but due to the "collective conscience" of the people. He emphasised that for the past decade, those in power have taken extreme positions, but the electorate has kept them grounded.

"For the last 10 years, those in power have taken extreme stands, but the people have brought them back to the ground. Narendra Modi did form the government, but not on his own but by taking help of Chandrababu Naidu (TDP) and Nitish Kumar (JDU)," Pawar said.

Pawar has been critical of Modi following the election results which showed that the BJP fell short of securing a majority on its own and relies on NDA allies.

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He questioned Modi's mandate to lead the country and took a swipe at Modi's earlier remark calling him a "bhatakti aatma" (wandering soul), responding, "It is good since the soul is eternal and this soul will not spare you."

In Maharashtra, Pawar-led NCP won 8 out of the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies it contested, recording the highest strike rate in the state.