2024: Religion, politics mix in UP; resurgent opposition shocks BJP

Lucknow: The grand inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, a spate of temple-mosque disputes, a series of abandoned temple discoveries and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's slogan of "batenge to katenge" (divided we fall).

Does that sum up 2024 for Uttar Pradesh? Yes and no.

Yes because these developments grabbed attention and helped set the narrative — political or otherwise — not just in the country's most populous state but beyond as well.

But there was more to the year for the state that witnessed some heart-wrenching tragedies — a deadly stampede in Hathras claimed 121 lives in July and 10 infants were charred to death in a fire in Jhansi medical college's neonatal ward in November.

On December 8, Allahabad High Court Justice Shekhar Yadav's remarks at a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) event in Prayagraj backing a uniform civil code (UCC) and the "majority" triggered a controversy and criticism from the opposition.

He appeared before the Supreme Court Collegium to explain his remarks.

However, Adityanath and the VHP supported Justice Yadav's take on the UCC. While Adityanath questioned the critics, VHP chief Alok Kumar told PTI that he wouldn't be apologetic even if the judge had made the remarks about the majority.

In a jolt to the BJP, a resurgent Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance limited the ruling party to 33 seats in the May-June Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, down from 63 in 2019.

This meant that despite a historic third consecutive win for the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, the ruling party would have to deal with a stronger opposition both inside and outside Parliament.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly byelections in November gave the BJP reason to cheer as it won seven of the nine seats that went to polls, including the Muslim-dominated Kundarki and the OBC-Dalit-dominated Katehari.

The Kundarki win found a mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech after the Mahayuti's impressive victory in the Maharashtra polls.

Recently, Adityanath cited the "Kundarki-Katehari model" to tell BJP cadres that "if this can happen, then nothing is impossible" in future elections.

Up next is the Milkipur assembly bypoll. The assembly segment falls under Faizabad (Ayodhya) Lok Sabha constituency, which the BJP lost to the Samajwadi Party (SP) earlier this year. The shocking loss for the BJP came months after the high-profile consecration ceremony of the Ram temple.

The Dalit factor plays a role in Faizabad, which explains why virtually all parties in Uttar Pradesh are currently engaged in Dalit symbolism by talking about community icon B R Ambedkar.

This year, the SP strengthened its position by winning 37 Lok Sabha seats, four more than the BJP, while the Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) downfall continued.

After drawing a blank in the November assembly bypolls, BSP president and four-time chief minister Mayawati declared that her party would not contest bypolls in future until the Election Commission takes measures to prevent "fake voting".

Ahead of the bypolls, Adityanath coined the "batenge toh katenge" slogan. It soon became the BJP's go-to slogan in the state and its "spirit" was endorsed by the RSS during its meeting in Mathura in October.

The slogan, along with PM Modi's "Ek hain toh safe hain", virtually became a cry for Hindu unity and paid off handsomely for the BJP not just in the bypolls but also in the Haryana and Maharashtra elections, states where the BJP surprised all with its impressive wins.

Sambhal also made headlines in November after violence during a court-ordered survey of a historic mosque claimed four lives. It was followed by the discovery of an abandoned temple and a mosque with an "illegal" power generator, and the recovery of broken statues of Hindu idols from closed wells.

Soon after, there was a flurry of claims about abandoned temples being made by right-wing groups. They even slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his remarks on temple-mosque disputes.

Bhagwat's remarks were an extension of his earlier appeal to right-wing groups to not look for a temple beneath every mosque.

In Aligarh, a US-based interfaith couple had to call off their wedding reception in December due to concerns of a communal flare-up voiced by right-wing groups.

Bahraich witnessed communal tensions after a man was shot dead during a Durga Puja procession.

A daring jewellery store heist in Sultanpur also made news this year. The accused were shot dead in a police encounter, drawing criticism from the opposition which claimed it was a targeted caste-based killing. The government refuted the charge.

A humble cobbler in Sultanpur suddenly found himself in the spotlight after Congress leader and Raebareli MP Rahul Gandhi visited him in July.

Governor Anandiben Patel claimed in November that an ancient Indian sage invented the airplane and the Wright Brothers had been wrongly credited for it.

The governor, who had made the statement during a convocation function in Lucknow, stood her ground during a recent interaction with editors and senior journalists at the Raj Bhavan.