They, however, seem to be divided on caste lines

The temple town of Ayodhya seems divided on caste lines during these elections, with the Ram temple not being an issue for its residents.

The quietness of the town is broken only by the movement of pilgrims who throng the place to visit the small temple built by the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (Trust), near which stones and pillars of various sizes are stored for the construction of a temple in the future.

In December 2015, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal renewed their clamour for a Ram temple. Things, however, have been quiet ever since.

Talk about the Ram temple here and an interesting caste divide emerges — Hindus opposed to the BJP say the party just used the issue as a political tool without any intention to build a temple, while pro-BJP voices say the matter is in court and the BJP or the Union government can do nothing on it.

“The BJP just talks about the Ram temple, but does nothing about it,” says Sugreev Yadav, a young milk-seller at a tea shop just a kilometre away from the Nyas’ temple site.

Asked if the temple should come up, he answers with a counter-question: “Which Hindu will not want a temple at Ayodhya?”

Mr. Yadav and his friends are all praise for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, saying that unlike Mayawati, who works “only” for her own caste, he works for everyone. He says SP’s candidate Tej Narayan Pandey, the sitting MLA, will win the election here.

“Stones for a Ram temple here also arrived one year ago when the Samajwadi Party was in power,” Naresh Yadav, part of the group of young milk-sellers, says. “What has the BJP done apart from talking?”

The conversation is interrupted by an aged Subhash Verma, who belongs to the OBC caste of Kurmi, as he reminds the young men that the BJP cannot do anything as the matter is in court.

“I will vote for the BJP. It is the best party for the country,” he says.

Support for BSP

A few minutes’ drive from here is the Muslim settlement of Haibatpur, where the BSP seems to be more popular.

“Under the BSP, law and order is maintained and riots and crime are controlled,” says Safaat Ali, clear about his preference.

In Ayodhya, the BSP candidate is a Muslim: Bazmi Siddiqui. This may partially explain the Muslim support, similar to the scene in Sultanpur, some distance away where Muslims seem to prefer the BSP — with a Muslim candidate — to the SP. The BJP has fielded Ved Prakash Gupta, who was the BSP candidate here the last time and had lost.

A group of upper caste men — all Brahmin and Thakur — sitting on chairs just outside a construction site root for the BJP.

Upper caste stance

Asked if a section of Brahmins and Thakurs will not move towards Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, respectively, as in the previous elections, Ram Chandra Shukla, a Brahmin says: “Even if we cast our vote for others, the BSP and SP will not believe it. They will say we voted for the BJP. Then why not just consolidate behind the BJP?”

The temple town of Ayodhya was considered a bastion of the BJP since 1991, but this bastion —which has symbolic value for the party — was finally breached by the Samajwadi Party when Mr. Pandey defeated the BJP’s sitting MLA Lallu Singh by just over 5,000 votes in 2012.