Archive · 11 Oct 2026
Yogi Invites Akhilesh to Face Him in Ayodhya Election
Yogi Adityanath and Akhilesh Yadav lead rival political parties in Uttar Pradesh.
Akhilesh challenged Yogi to run for election in Ayodhya.
Yogi replied that Akhilesh should file his nomination there and said he would do the same.
The Samajwadi Party has already chosen Tej Narayan Pandey, also called Pawan Pandey, as its candidate for the Ayodhya Assembly seat.
Akhilesh pointed to his party's 2024 win in the larger Faizabad parliamentary constituency, which includes Ayodhya.
He also said a young candidate could beat the BJP.
Yogi criticised the SP's past governance and its choices for other political posts.
Their comments do not mean either leader has officially announced a run from Ayodhya.
At a Balrampur event, Yogi Adityanath invited Akhilesh Yadav to file his nomination from Ayodhya and said he would do the same.
Yadav had challenged Adityanath to contest from Ayodhya, alleging the BJP was struggling to find a candidate and trailing in surveys.
The Samajwadi Party has named Tej Narayan Pandey, also known as Pawan Pandey, as its Ayodhya Assembly candidate.
Yadav cited the SP's 2024 Faizabad Lok Sabha victory and said a young PDA candidate could defeat the BJP; Adityanath disputed the SP's record and representation.
Adityanath's remarks were a challenge, not a formal declaration of his constituency; whether either leader contests from Ayodhya remains uncertain.
- Who
- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.
- What
- Adityanath invited Yadav to contest from Ayodhya and said he would also file his nomination there.
- When
- Adityanath made the remarks on Saturday, October 10, according to several reports; articles differ on whether the upcoming polls are next year or in 2027.
- Where
- At a public meeting in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh; Ayodhya is the proposed constituency.
- Why
- Adityanath was responding to Yadav's challenge to contest from Ayodhya after the SP named its candidate there.
Yogi Adityanath and BJP
Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party
Ayodhya election contest
Yogi Adityanath and BJP
Adityanath invited Yadav to file from Ayodhya and said he would also contest, calling for a direct face-off.
Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party
Yadav challenged Adityanath to contest there and argued the SP could defeat the BJP; he has not confirmed that he will run from Ayodhya.
Ayodhya's governance and development
Yogi Adityanath and BJP
Adityanath alleged Ayodhya had poor electricity supply, sanitation problems, restrictions on Ramlila and barricades under the previous SP government; he said the city is now developing.
Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party
Yadav and SP representatives cited the party's Faizabad victory and raised allegations of corruption and unmet local needs.
Political representation
Yogi Adityanath and BJP
Adityanath accused the SP of inadequate representation for Dalits and backward communities in its Rajya Sabha nominations and criticised its PDA slogan.
Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party
Yadav uses PDA to refer to backward classes, Dalits and minorities, and presents the SP's Ayodhya candidate as a young PDA representative.
- Proposed constituency
- Ayodhya Assembly constituency
- SP candidate
- Tej Narayan Pandey, also known as Pawan Pandey
- Adityanath's current constituency
- Gorakhpur Urban Assembly constituency
- 2024 parliamentary result
- SP candidate Awadhesh Prasad defeated BJP candidate Lallu Singh in the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency, which includes Ayodhya.
- Ayodhya Assembly result
- The BJP won in 2017 and 2022; its reported winning margin fell from 50,440 votes to 19,990.
- SP's 2022 vote share
- 40.40 per cent, according to one report.
- Candidacy status
- Adityanath issued a challenge but did not formally announce that he would contest from Ayodhya.
- Balrampur projects
- Reports describe projects worth Rs 803 crore or over Rs 800 crore; one specifies 78 projects.
Sources
Ayodhya Assembly Seat: BJP's Winning Margin Shrinks As SP Gains Ground Ahead Of 2027 UP Polls
CM Yogi Adityanath Accepts SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav's Ayodhya Election Challenge, Calls For Direct Contest In Assembly Polls
'If You Will, I Will': Yogi Adityanath On Akhilesh Yadav's Ayodhya Contest Dare
'Let's Test Our Luck': Yogi Adityanath Accepts Akhilesh Yadav's Ayodhya Dare, Challenges SP Chief To Contest Too
'Let's file nominations from Ayodhya, should be direct face-off': CM Adityanath on Akhilesh's challenge
UP Election 2027: Yogi Adityanath vs Akhilesh Yadav in Ayodhya? CM accepts SP chief's dare - ‘File your nomination'
Yogi Challenges Akhilesh to Contest from Ayodhya: Akhilesh says PDA is enough to defeat thieves.
Now, Yogi dares Akhilesh to contest from Ayodhya, SP chief responds
Akhilesh-Yogi banter puts Ayodhya Assembly seat back in focus
