Ram Mandir is Not Poll Issue: BJP UP Chief Keshav Prasad Maurya

Prasad also denied that Amit Shah identified the Samajwadi Party as their main competitor in the 2017 UP elections

Keshav Prasad Maurya has said that his party does not have plans to focus on the Ram Temple issue in the upcoming elections. (Photo: The Quint)

Bharatiya Janata Party’s Uttar Pradesh unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya has said that his party does not have plans to focus on the Ram Temple issue in the upcoming 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly Polls. He said this while speaking to The Hindu in an interview.

We want a bhavya (grand) Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya but it is not a political or electoral issue for us. It is an article of faith. We will ask for votes on development not on the name of Ram Mandir.

Keshav Prasad Maurya

This might be BJP’s strategy since beef and cow slaughter as issues failed to rouse the sentiments of the Bihar electorate.

The issue of constructing a Ram Temple is in our manifesto and remains one of our core issues, but it cannot be used for canvassing votes.

Keshav Prasad Maurya

BJP’s strategy to raise beef and cow slaughter as issues has failed to rouse the sentiments of the Bihar electorate. (Photo: Reuters)

He denied that BJP president Amit Shah had termed the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) as their main competitor in the upcoming assembly elections.

Adhyakshji (The president) has his own reasons for saying that the SP is the main party to beat, possibly because it is the party in power at the moment and there is great resentment against its unpopular rule among the people. It is good for a party such as that to go out of power. I however, equate SP and BSP. We will fight against both with equal strength.

Keshav Prasad Maurya

I have taken up the responsibility of the State unit only recently and while on most seats our main fight is with SP, the BSP too should be reduced to its 2014 (General Election) tally.

Keshav Prasad Maurya

BJP President Amit Shah. (Photo: Reuters)

In the Lok Sabha Polls, the NDA had swept the state by getting 73 seats (71 for BJP, 2 for ally Apna Dal) out of a total of 80 seats.

He added that the party was undecided about who to project as a chief ministerial candidate in the polls.

There are many senior leaders in the state unit, and if the party’s parliamentary board feels as at any point that they require a chief ministerial candidate, they will take that decision. As of now, as party chief, my aim is to target 265 seats in the U.P. Assembly.

Keshav Prasad Maurya, BJP Uttar Pradesh Chief

He however said that he doesn’t consider Congress as any competiton.

As now they [the Congress] have got a poll strategist, Prashant Kishor to help them. He is a professional man, and such a person, I feel, will not have the capacity to cure whatever it is that ails them.

Keshav Prasad Maurya, BJP Uttar Pradesh Chief

Mr Maurya also denied any alliances that BJP would be getting into, including with the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal with whom they were talks till a couple of weeks back.

We will be going into the polls with existing NDA ally Apna Dal, and no others.

Keshav Prasad Maurya, BJP Uttar Pradesh Chief