BJP could've suffered even greater loss: Akhilesh Yadav on Ayodhya win

• Yadav attributes BJP's loss to the hardships faced by Ayodhya residents
• Says, 'the poor were sacrificed for a holy cause'
• Samajwadi Party's Awadhesh Prasad won Faizabad by over 54,000 votes

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed gratitude to the people of Ayodhya following the party's victory over the BJP in the Faizabad constituency. 

"The truth is that the BJP could have suffered even greater losses in Uttar Pradesh. I express gratitude to the people of Ayodhya. They have endured hardships over time. They were not adequately compensated for their land, subjected to injustice, and their land was acquired below market rates. False cases were filed against them, and their land was forcibly taken away... the poor were sacrificed for a holy cause. Therefore, I believe the people of Ayodhya and surrounding areas voted against the BJP," Yadav remarked.

In the Faizabad constituency, where Ayodhya is located, BJP's MP Lallu Singh lost to Samajwadi Party's prominent Dalit leader, Awadhesh Prasad, by a margin of over 54,000 votes. Prasad, a nine-time MLA and founding member of the SP, emerged victorious after a close contest.

Despite BJP stalwart Lallu Singh contesting from Faizabad, he was defeated by Prasad, signifying the significant shift in voter sentiment in the region.