Over 300 UP legislators visit Ram temple, SP only oppn party to skip mass 'darshan'

Over 300 Uttar Pradesh legislators packed in 10 buses and some cars travelled Sunday from Lucknow to the new Ayodhya Ram Mandir, a state government-organised event skipped only by the opposition Samajwadi Party.

Members from the Jayant Chaudhary's Rashtriya Lok Dal too were part of the group, their participation seen as another indication that the party is all set to switch sides from the SP to the ruling BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Flower petals were showered on the blue state roadways luxury buses in Ayodhya as they brought the legislators. Some people even stood atop a bulldozer and showered flowers on the cars.

Legislators from both the state assembly (current strength 399) and the legislative council (100) took part in the day trip to the temple town, about two and a half hours away. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was in Pune earlier, flew down to Ayodhya separately to join the MLAs.

The temple was opened to public on January 23, a day after the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol there on a nationally televised event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The planned Ayodhya trip comes a day after a resolution lauding the consecration was read out in Parliament.