The Ram Mandir was inaugurated on January 22, 2024, and was strategically planned by the incumbent government just three months prior to the commencement of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This event garnered considerable attention across the nation, making the social landscape more fertile for the BJP, as the party intended to do.
As we know, political parties enter the electoral fray by addressing issues they believe will resonate with voters, and this year was no exception.
However, one distinctive feature of the BJP’s campaign stood out: for the first time, instead of merely promising to construct the Ram Mandir, the BJP anchored its bid for power on the completion of the temple’s construction, among other issues.
But how do Indian voters feel about the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and how did it reflect in the voting pattern in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election?
The CSDS post-poll data tries to address this question of whether the Ram Mandir resonated with the voters for a long period or was momentary. In response to an open-ended question of ‘most approved work of the BJP-led NDA government’, 22% mentioned the construction of the Ram Mandir, making it the most liked work of the BJP government.
Table 1 | The table shows the responses to the question: Which is the one work done by the Union government in the last five years that you have liked the most?
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While the Ram Mandir enjoys the highest likeability among Indians, it is notable that efforts to reduce poverty and create employment opportunities, the second and third most liked works of the BJP government, each stand at a distant 6%.
Though the Ram Mandir garnered the highest approval ratings, the CSDS post-poll further delved into understanding the ‘most disapproved work of the BJP-led NDA government’ among the section that mentioned the Ram Mandir as the most approved work of the BJP-led NDA government.
In response to an open-ended question about the ‘most disapproved work of the BJP-led NDA government’ among that section for whom Ram Mandir was the most approved work, it was discovered that 29% expressed discontent with the rise in prices, and even more concerning, 27% expressed dissatisfaction with the efforts of the government in addressing unemployment.
Increasing poverty also emerged as one of the highly disliked works of the government, with 11% expressing concern over this issue. And, other issues mentioned were in single digit percent.
Table 2 | The table shows the responses to the question: Which is the one work done by the Union government in the past five years that you have disliked the most among those who supported the Ram Mandir construction?
It is interesting to note that while people support the construction of the Ram Mandir, they are also considerate of the economic challenges prevailing in the country, including issues such as unemployment, inflation, and poverty, among other issues.
While navigating through these multiple issues, where the Ram Mandir is the most approved work of the government along with other relatively highly disapproved work in the same section, it becomes very tricky to understand what issues will be at the forefront for the voting choice.
On this domain of voter choice, the data show that economic issues appear to take precedence over social and political issues when deciding whom to vote for.
In response to an open-ended question in the CSDS-Lokniti pre-poll study, among those who cited ‘Ram Mandir’ as the most liked work of the government, a quarter (25%) identified unemployment as the most important voting issue, while two in 10 (22%) mentioned price rise.
Table 3 | The table shows the responses to the question: Finally when you vote in the Lok Sabha election, which issue will be most important for you while arriving at your final decision about who to vote for?
A relatively smaller proportion of 19% considered the construction of Ram Mandir as a significant voting issue. This suggests a notable disparity between the issues that are considered achievements of the government and those issues that become voting issues.
Examining the voting preferences of voters who considered the Ram Mandir a significant issue, it is evident that the BJP had a substantial lead, capturing 63% of these voters.
Additionally, two in 10 of these voters were in support of the BJP allies. In contrast, only 19% of voters for whom the Ayodhya temple was a crucial issue chose the Opposition. It is also important that this question about vote choice was asked in a pre-poll study; hence, respondents were asked about their voting intentions rather than who they had voted for.
Table 4 | The table shows the responses to the question: If Lok Sabha elections are held tomorrow, which party will you vote for?
Despite the BJP’s consistent efforts, it could not fully convert its popularity into a decisive voting issue. While the Ram Mandir became a highly favoured initiative of the BJP-led NDA government, it was unable to translate this support into a widespread electoral issue. Had the BJP managed to turn this popular sentiment into a voting issue, it would have performed significantly better, as the party was the preferred choice for voters who prioritised it.
Ganesh Ramesh Kulkarni is a Research Intern at the Lokniti - CSDS
Source: CSDS Lokniti
