Suryaa National Desk: Samajwadi Party national president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya with his family members on December 12 to offer special prayers, senior party leader and former minister Pawan Pandey officially announced. Akhilesh Yadav has not visited the temple since the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Lord Ram was completed at the new temple in January 2024.
According to details provided by Pawan Pandey, Akhilesh Yadav will reach Ayodhya on December 12 and first visit the Hanuman Garhi temple to seek blessings. He will then visit the Ram Temple for darshan of Lord Ram. Last month, while attending a spiritual program near Ayodhya, Akhilesh Yadav assigned the responsibility of finalizing the date for his temple visit to the local party leadership. The confirmation of the date has generated enthusiasm among local Samajwadi Party cadres.
Akhilesh Yadav had received an invitation from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony held on January 22, 2024. He did not attend the event due to the political prevailing conditions at the time and the stance of the opposition INDIA alliance. However, in a letter written to Trust General Secretary Champat Rai at that time, Akhilesh had clarified that he would visit Ayodhya with his family to offer prayers after the ceremony concluded. He has now scheduled the visit in accordance with that commitment.
The decision holds political significance ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly election dynamics. Political analysts view the upcoming visit as a strategic move to counter the anti-Hindu image repeatedly attributed to the Samajwadi Party by the BJP, sparking discussion in Uttar Pradesh political circles.
