Lucknow: Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will visit Ayodhya on 12 December to offer prayers at the Ram temple and Hanumangarhi, marking his first visit to the temple since its construction was completed in 2024.
Yadav will be accompanied by his wife Dimple Yadav and other family members, according to Pawan Pandey, a senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former legislator from Ayodhya who announced the date on the day before Diwali.
Pandey said Yadav had assigned him the responsibility of deciding the date during his recent visit to Ayodhya. “Those in the BJP have often asked when Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram temple. Today, I am announcing the date. He will visit the Ram temple with his entire family on 12 December,” Pandey said.
During the visit, Yadav is also expected to meet saints and seers, seek their blessings and have prasad with them. ThePrint also spoke to other leaders close to Yadav, who confirmed the proposed Ayodhya visit.
Before travelling to Ayodhya, the SP chief may also visit the under-construction Kedareshwar temple in Etawah, dedicated to Lord Shiva, and being built on his initiative. It is being built on the lines of the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand as a religious landmark.
Party insiders see the temple visits as part of Yadav’s broader ‘soft Hindutva’ strategy, particularly as the BJP has repeatedly targeted the Yadav family over its perceived distance from the Ram temple.
“The BJP often takes digs at the Yadav family over the Ram temple. They spin fake narratives during polls. This visit will put an end to those attacks,” an SP leader said.
BJP leaders question timing of visit
The announcement has triggered reactions from BJP leaders, who have questioned the timing of Yadav’s proposed visit. Deputy chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said the move had come too late and alleged that voters had already understood the Opposition’s political strategy.
“Bahut der kar di huzoor aate, bahut der kar di huzoor aate-aate, ab train chhoot gayi hai, tum ghar jao (Too late, too late, the train has already left, you should go home),” Pathak said, adding that people understood the Opposition’s manoeuvres.
UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi also criticised Yadav, referring to the SP’s past position on the Ram temple movement. “Those who once took pride in ordering firing on Ram devotees and swore to rebuild the Babri Masjid have now been compelled by the strength of Hindus to visit the Ram temple, after spending so much time spreading caste-based divisions,” Tripathi said.
He added that a visit made out of genuine devotion could have had some significance, but going to the temple with elections approaching would not yield any political benefit. “Ram devotees will not forgive him for his past actions,” Tripathi said.
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar also took a swipe at Yadav over the announcement. “Akhilesh ji, I hear you are going to Ayodhya. Have you realised that elections are approaching? Better late than never, at least some wisdom has prevailed. While you are at it, announce the dates for visits to Mathura and Kashi as well. Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Krishna, Jai Baba Vishwanath,” Rajbhar said.
The Ram temple has remained a major political issue in Uttar Pradesh, with the BJP frequently invoking the Ram temple movement and the consecration of the temple as a political achievement.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)