The Ayodhya Ledger: Ram Temple, Missing Donations and the Politics Ahead of UP Elections

With less than a year left for the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Assembly elections, the Ram temple in Ayodhya has once again become the centre of political contestation. Unlike previous elections, when the temple served as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) most powerful political symbol, it is now being discussed because of allegations that crores of rupees in devotees’ offerings may have gone missing. The issue has emerged barely two years after the temple’s pran pratishtha (consecration of the idol).

The controversy began after Pawan Pandey, a former Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA from Ayodhya, alleged that at least Rs 7 crore in donations had been siphoned off. The allegations found force after photographs and videos allegedly showing currency notes in a washroom near the donation-counting centre and irregularities in the donation-counting process circulated on social media and television news.

This was quickly amplified by the SP, whose chief Akhilesh Yadav repeatedly raised questions about the handling of devotees’ contributions and demanded accountability. “This is an extremely sensitive piece of news for devotees of Lord Ram across the entire world: crores of rupees in offerings to the Ram temple have been found missing. This is an utterly shameful situation for the temple trust. No one is coming forward to offer any explanation,” Yadav wrote on X on June 7. He added: “There is a demand for the court to take suo motu cognisance, as this is directly linked to the deep faith in Lord Ram held by the entire Sanatan society at a global level.”

Several senior SP leaders told Outlook that Yadav has continued to raise the issue because it allows him to challenge the Yogi Adityanath government’s claims of probity while questioning whether the BJP can protect the institution most closely associated with its ideological project. The strategy is part of the SP’s effort to move beyond its long-standing image as a party representing primarily Muslims and Yadavs. In recent years, Yadav has increasingly adopted a softer Hindutva stance while simultaneously advancing the pichhda, Dalit, alpsankhyak (PDA) political coalition. The party hopes that this issue will help it in the 2027 UP elections to elect 403 members of the state Assembly.

Senior SP leader Sudheer Panwar says the controversy has punctured the BJP’s claim to moral authority on the Ram Tem­ple issue.“This is one of the worst things to have happened in Hinduism. Mandir me chori [looting in the temple] under the nose of the people who won elections in the name of Ram!”

When asked if it will help the SP, he says, “The BJP has been exposed in the true sense that it can no longer take the moral high ground on the Ram temple. This episode proves that the BJP only knows how to exploit the name of Ram for votes. It can’t safeguard the Ram temple from acts of wrongdoing.”

Yet, the strategy remains politically risky. Memories of the October-November 1990 police firing on kar sevaks under the Mulayam Singh Yadav government continue to shape perceptions among sections of Hindu voters. BJP leaders continue to invoke the episode whenever the SP attempts to engage with issues linked to Ayodhya and the Ram temple.

The Developments

After the allegation of missing funds surfaced, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust strongly denied any financial irregularity. Trust general secretary Champat Rai said regular audits were being conducted and that no discrepancies had been detected. The trust subsequently approached the UP government seeking an impartial investigation, alleging that misinformation was being spread on social media to tarnish the image of the temple and hurt devotees’ sentiments.

Acting on the request of the trust, the UP government constituted a three-member special investigation team (SIT) on June 13 comprising Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, inspector general of police Kiran S. and finance department special secretary Neel Ratan. The SIT has now submitted its preliminary findings to the state government. According to sources, the 20-page report recommends registration of a first information report (FIR), restructuring of the trust’s administrative framework and appointment of a senior government officer as the temple’s chief executive officer. Sources say the report raises questions regarding supervision, recruitment of personnel involved in counting donations and monitoring mechanisms governing temple finances. The report is also understood to have flagged alleged negligence.

An FIR was subsequently registered and eight people were arrested. The probe has reportedly examined the role of nearly 14 individuals connected with temple administration and financial management, including trust member Anil Mishra, administrator Gopal Rao and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu. Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, resigned from his post after the FIR was registered. Rai has not been named in the FIR. Trustee Mishra has also submitted his resignation.

Even as the SIT completed its preliminary inquiry, CM Adityanath alleged that Ayodhya was being targeted as part of a larger “conspiracy” and urged people not to rush to conclusions until the investigation was completed.

Trust chairperson Nripedra Misra too cautioned against premature conclusions. He publicly acknowledged serious administrative and surveillance failures within the temple management system.  “My firm opinion is that the entire management structure should be reorganised and entrusted to experienced professionals,” he added.

A retired Indian Administrative Service officer who served as principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first term, Misra heads the construction committee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and remains one of the most influential figures associated with the temple project.

Rakesh Tripathi, BJP spokesperson, says that the party had nothing to do with the administration of the trust and emphasised that the trust itself had sought an investigation. “The Ram Mandir Trust approached the UP government seeking a probe,” he says. “We are taking every allegation seriously. It would be immature to speak before the SIT report is made public. We have ensured that every allegation is investigated.” Tripathi adds: “The SP should be the last party to comment on this issue. Those who ordered firing on Ram bhakts and kar sevaks have zero credibility.”

Effect on the 2027 Poll Outcome

Whether the controversy ultimately damages the BJP will depend on what the final investigation establishes and whether opposition parties can sustain public attention on the issue until the Assembly elections in UP. For the SP, this offers a rare opportunity to challenge the BJP on terrain that once appeared politically impregnable. Analysts caution against assuming that public anger will automatically translate into electoral losses for the BJP. Mahendra Kumar Singh, who teaches political science at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, says that the allegations could complicate the BJP’s efforts to consolidate non-Yadav Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and non-Jatav Dalit voters under its Hindutva umbrella. “Theft at the Ram temple will affect UP politics. The BJP is taking it very seriously because politically it is a major issue,” he says. He argues that the controversy has the potential to undermine the BJP’s broader project of combining welfare delivery with cultural nationalism to build support among sections of OBCs and Dalits, and bring them into the Hindutva fold. At the same time, he believes there are limits to the political fallout. “I also think that all followers of Lord Ram are extremely hurt and angry. But I highly doubt that they will leave the BJP because of this matter,” he says.