When the Lok Sabha election dates were announced in March, there was still buzz in Uttar Pradesh about the Ayodhya Ram temple, consecrated in a grand ceremony just two months ago that saw nationwide fervour. But as polling began with the first phase on April 19, local issues started gaining traction in the state. The extent of the shift in the ground situation was perhaps missed by the BJP, which even lost from Faizabad constituency—where the grand temple stands—to the Samajwadi Party (SP) by over 54,000 votes.