Ayodhya Political outfits may have reaped rich dividends from it in the past but Ram Temple movement is not an issue in Lord Ram's own backyard in this assembly constituency going to the polls on May eight in the last phase of polling.

Instead, caste and religious equations are likely to play a key role in deciding the fate of the contestants.

"No party dares to touch the Ram temple-Babri Masjid issue," says Khaliq Ahmed Khan, a special invitee member in the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, an apex body of the Muslims in the country.

Elaborating his contention, Khan says no progress had been made on resolving this vexed issue. The BJP had said it would construct a temple but it failed to keep its promise, he said.

The mahant of the famous Hanumangarhi temple Gyan Das echoes similar sentiment. "The BJP lacks the courage to raise the Ram temple issue for it knows that it had betrayed the people on this count," he said.

A discussion with a cross-section of the people of this temple town buttresses the mahant's claim that the polls here would be on caste and religious lines.

In fact, the decision of the rebel Samajwadi Party leader and Samajwadi Kranti Dal president Beni Prasad Verma to contest from here was prompted by the presence of a sizeable number of kurmis in the constituency.

"The kurmis will support Beni Babu," said Ram Kumar Verma, who owns a sweet shop in Naya Ghat area.

Muslims also appear to be tilting towards Verma who already has the support of Congress, which has not fielded its candidate from the seat.

The Muslims are angry with the SP government for not issuing a fresh notification for transferring the Ayodhya trial from the Raebareli court to a special CBI court in Lucknow.

"Mulayam has betrayed the Muslims...his party had stalled the proceedings in Lok Sabha on this issue when he was in opposition," said Hashmi Ansari, the main plaintiff in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid title suits.

Khaliq Ahmed Khan claims that the SP candidate Indra Pratap Tewari is an accused in the killing of one Chand Nayar in Faizabad recently.

The brahmins, which form 20 per cent of the 3.13 lakh electorate here, appear to be divided as BSP and SP have fielded Brahmin candidates.

In fact, SP, BJP and SKD flags could be seen fluttering atop houses in several localities in the town inhabited by brahmins and the trading communities.

Congress, which had secured about 8,000 votes in the previous assembly elections, is supporting Beni Prasad this time and its traditional votes are likely to be transferred to the SKD leader.

Local Congress leader and former party MP from Gaizabad Nirmal Khatri is actively campaigning for Verma.

In the absence of any emotive issue, the contestants are banking on the appeal of their respective party's star campaigners and caste equations to sail through.

Press Trust of India