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UP polls: Some saints eager to take electoral plunge in Ayodhya
Another section of saints in Ayodhya is against the active participation of their fraternity in the UP polls and in electoral politics in general
Some saints of Ayodhya want to contest the UP polls from the pilgrim town. Ayodhya (Sadar) is their favourite assembly constituency from where they want to make a foray in the UP polls. The Ram Janmabhoomi, where a grand Ram temple is under construction, falls in this constituency. But another section of saints in Ayodhya is against active participation of their fraternity in politics.
Raju Das, one of the priests of Hanuman Garhi temple, and Paramhans Das of Tapasvi Ji Ki Chhawani are among the prominent saints who want to contest the polls from the Ayodhya (Sadar) assembly seat. Raju Das is also among the contenders for the BJP ticket for Ayodhya Sadar, considered a VIP assembly constituency. Ved Prakash Gupta, the BJP’s sitting MLA from the same constituency, is also a contender for the same seat.
“I have decided to contest the polls from the Ayodhya assembly seat. I am seeking the ticket from the BJP. If the party denies the ticket, then I will file my nomination as an independent candidate,” said Paramhans Das.
Setting out his agenda, he said: “If maulvis get salary, then seers must also get salary.” He has often been in the news for staging protests.
A year before the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Ayodhya title suit on November 9, 2019, Paramhans Das had announced he would immolate himself by sitting on a funeral pyre if the Modi government failed to bring an ordinance for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
However, Acharya Satyendra Das, head priest of Ram Lalla, is against saints entering active politics. “There are two nitis (policies) — Rajniti (politics) and Dharamniti (religion). Those who are into Dharamniti must not take part in Rajniti. These are two different fields,” said Satyendra Das. Acharya Das, aged around 82, is a former Sanskrit lecturer and has been performing puja of Ram Lalla at the makeshift Ram Janmabhoomi temple for the past 28 years
Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor designate of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, who is chairman of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, is also against saints contesting the election. Ayodhya goes to polls in the fifth phase on February 27.
Ayodhya district has five assembly seats —Ayodhya (Sadar), Rudauli, Mulkipur, Bikapur and Gosaiganj. The BJP won all the five assembly seats in the district in the 2017 polls.
While the BJP has usually been dominant on the Ayodhya assembly seat, in 2012 Tej Narayan Pandey aka Pawan Pandey of the SP won the seat after defeating Lallu Singh of the BJP.
However, Lallu Singh has registered two consecutive victories on this parliamentary seat in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. He is the sitting BJP MP from Ayodhya (earlier Faizabad).
