With 'Jai Shri Ram' chant and Ramayan circuit, PM Modi woos Ayodhya: Highlights

Prime Minister Narender Modi will address an election rally in Maya Bazar in Gosainganj, which is 27 kilometres from the main city of Ayodhya. The Gosainganj area falls under the Ayodhya district although it votes for the Ambedkar Nagar Lok Sabha seat which votes in the sixth phase - on May 12. This would be PM Modi's first visit to Ayodhya in the last five years. The holy town has been central to the BJP and its Hindutva affiliates' agitation for a Ram temple at what faithfuls believe to be the birth place of lord Ram.

Ahead of General Elections in 2014, PM Modi had addressed a rally in Faizabad, where an image of the proposed Ram Temple at the backdrop of his dais triggered a massive controversy with the Opposition parties including the Congress complaining of the violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by using religious symbols.

PM Modi's visit to the Ram Janmabhoomi is significant as many have accused the ruling BJP of not doing enough for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site of Ayodhya. Right-wing groups also demanded that a special amendment be brought to facilitate the construction of a temple.

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Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case, the decade-old socio-religious debate, started back on December 6, 1992, when a group of Hindu Karsevaks, during a political rally, destroyed the mosque claiming that a Ram temple was actually demolished to construct the same. The mosque was built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya back in 1528.

The BJP, however, in its 2019 election manifesto, has promised to "explore all possibilities within the framework of the constitution and all necessary efforts to facilitate the expeditious construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya".